Unforgettable Summer
by theparamoregames
Summary: Katniss and her friends are in their Senior Year and are more than ready to leave the drama of high school behind them. A certain blonde haired boy with mesmerising blue eyes moves to town mid-year, and the sparks begin to fly. But when the gang decide to take a summer camping trip relationships will be tested, calling for an unforgettable summer for everyone. AU Katniss/Peeta
1. Chapter 1

Katniss sighed as she tried once again to fit all her books into her bag. It was hopeless though. She had History after lunch, and although it was one of her favourite subjects, the amount of books she needed was ridiculous. She slammed her locker closed as the lunch bell rang, pulled her bag over her shoulder and turned around only to collide with a boy, his free hand reaching out to stop Katniss from falling as she attempted to catch the books she held in her arm. They fell to the floor with a light _thud_. Simultaneously the two bent down to collect the books, their eyes meeting for only a brief moment. He handed Katniss her books and gave a weary smile.

"Uh I'm so sorry, that was my fault. Wasn't watching where I was going." The boy said, the same smile plastered on his face. His hand moved up to push his ashen blonde hair from his eyes, which were a stunning shade of blue; one that reminded Katniss of the ocean. She didn't know his name, nor had she seen or met him before. _He must be new_ she thought to herself.

"It's fine, really." She smiled "Can I help you with anything?" She asked motioning to the school map in the boy's hand. If anything, that confirmed her suspicions. She wasn't normally one for small talk, but he seemed nice enough and she felt bad for him – New schools weren't exactly the easiest transition, especially this late in the year.

"Uhh, maybe. Well, yeah, probably. I'm looking for room 14?" he asked with a slight dip in his eyebrows, biting his bottom lip intently.

"Oh, well at least you're headed in the right direction." Katniss smiled "It's just at the end of the corridor, on the left."

"Thankyou." The boy smiled in friendly way "And sorry, again, about before."

"No problem, and really, don't worry about it. It was an accident." She said before giving the boy a slight wave and turning to head to cafeteria.

Katniss spent the next few minutes wondering about the boy - who was he? He seemed much nicer than the majority of those in her year, even if they only spoke for a minute. Maybe it was because he was new, or maybe he was just a nice guy. Either way, it was refreshing to see a nice guy at her school. Her small town had a fair population for its size, but failed to have many kids her age that weren't all about getting smashed and going to parties every weekend, or materialistic things that would never even cross Katniss' mind. She had a good group of friends who she'd met over her years in high school, and who thankfully all got along with each other. They spent most of their free time together and although they'd occasionally attend the odd party, it wasn't something that fussed them as much as it did the others in their year.

She made her way into the cafeteria and spotted her friends seated at their usual table. When she reached them, she dropped her books onto the table and pulled her bag off her shoulder with a sigh.

'Hey, Catnip." Gale smiled as she takes a seat next to them. Katniss hated him calling her that; he was her oldest friend, they were practically family but when his used this nickname in front of others, it sometimes bugged her.

"Stop calling me that" she laughed in a serious tone, elbowing him in the ribs.

"Whoa, someone's had a bad day?" Gale asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, someone doesn't want to run the risk of being referred to as 'Catnip' by the rest of the school for the next year." She told him. Katniss looked at Gale who was sharing an amused look with Finnick.

"Oh, C'mon, Catnip, it's not too bad!" Finnick chimed in from opposite her. She shot him a look while he and Gale shared a laugh. Annie, who was sitting next to Finnick, let out a small giggle. Johanna, however just rolled her eyes at them. Katniss looked around the table; Finnick, who was tall and had golden hair, was sitting opposite her with Annie by his side. Annie, whose tangle of dark hair fell down her shoulder, was a shy girl and had transferred here at the beginning of the year. She was only new, but managed to fit in well with the others, even if she didn't have much to contribute during conversations and often sat there with a blank look on her face. Next to Annie sat Johanna, who seemed to have a smug look on her face 24/7. Katniss and Johanna shared a 'love-hate relationship'; as much as Katniss liked having such a strong minded friend, they often had conflicting views and only managed to share opinions on a few topics. But nonetheless, Johanna was certainly a fun person. Next to Johanna sat Thom, a dark hair boy who lived around the corner from Katniss. Next was Gale, Katniss' oldest friend. He was tall and shared the same olive skin and dark hair as Katniss, forming some sort of basis that resulted in everyone thinking they were related. Madge, a quite blonde haired girl, sat next to her. Katniss enjoyed spending time with Madge, maybe more so than she did with the others. They both shared a few classes and found that they didn't need to fill their time by talking, or gossiping, like most girls their age did. Neither of them minded silence. Katniss noticed they were one member down.

"Where's Delly?" Katniss asked a little surprised. Delly was never late for lunch; she often joked that it was the only reason she bothered coming to school, but Katniss suspected that there was more truth to that then she cared to share.

"She said she would be a little late, had to go meet a friend apparently." Madge tells Katniss quietly as the others begin talking about their previous lessons.

"Must be an important friend if she's willing to be late for lunch" Katniss joked.

Katniss took her lunch from the bag and tried to immerse herself in conversation with the others. They were all looking forward to summer vacation, and there were only three weeks left until school broke off from the semester. Gale and Finnick were planning a camping trip for the summer, and managed to convince everyone to come. They were headed a little upstate to a lake Gale used to go to when he was younger; The Lake was about a day's drive but they were all up for it. It was home to a small caravan park but had room for guests to bring their own camping gear, so they'd decided to alternate: two weeks in the cabins, and one camping. Katniss had already managed to get her little sister, Prim, into the summer camp she'd been eyeing for months, so, without having to worry about her sister, Katniss could hardly wait. It would be fun – nearly a month without school, or studying or the drama of her classmates. However Dellys arrival brought her out of her own thoughts.

"Guys!" Delly said announced standing at the end of their table.

"Guys! Shut up for a minute would you!" She was growing impatient as she waited for her friends to stop talking. Katniss couldn't help but smile as she looked up a Delly, who arms were rested on her hips in an authorial manor. Delly returned Katniss' smile and sighed as the group finally began to quieten down. Katniss' eyes wandered around at her friends, and back up toward Delly, only to meet those same blues from earlier. Next to Delly stood the same boy she had literally run into earlier. His arms were crossed awkwardly over his chest, and he wore the same weary smile as before.

"Guys, this is Peeta Mellark. His family moved here a couple of weeks ago, so today's his first day. We used to go to school together, so be nice." Delly announced happily, motioning for Peeta to take a seat.

"Uh, hey" Peeta smiled giving a slight wave to the group. He took a seat on the end of the table next to Katniss, opposite Delly.

"Ok, so, this is Thom, Johanna, Annie, Finnick, Madge, Gale and Katniss" Delly tells Peeta as she motions around the table to each of them.

"It's nice to meet you all" he smiles, seemingly a little more at ease now.

"It's Katniss, right?" Peeta asks quietly once the others begin talking again. Katniss smiles and nods at him, unable to take her eyes away from his.

"Well, again, I'm sorry for before. New school, lots of people, too many classrooms." He smiles.

"Really Peeta, don't worry about it. It's totally fine" Katniss insists.

"What? You two have met?" Delly interjects, somewhat shocked

Katniss and Peeta both laughed a little. "Uh, well we ran into each other earlier." Katniss tells her

"Literally" Peeta adds.

The bell rings, signalling the end of their lunch period and Katniss re-packs her stuff with a sigh.

"What do you have next?" Delly asks Peeta with her usual bright smile.

He pulls a small slip of paper from the pocket in his jeans, smooths it out and reads it.

"Uhh, History, room 32" Peeta says, biting his lip again.

"Oh! You're with Katniss! She'll show you the way." Delly says before turning and heading to her own class.

Katniss gives a small smile to Peeta, pulls her bag over her shoulder and stuffs the remaining books inside.

"Lead the way" Peeta say with a smile.

_'Peeta' _Katniss thinks with a smile, finally being able to put a name to the face she hasn't been able to get out of her head all day.

* * *

**Hey guys! So, i've been reading too many AU fanfics and they made me want to write my own. I've had a bit of an idea in my head, so i finally got a bit of it down. I'm considering changing it to Katniss/Peetas/whoevers POV and writing it in first person - im so used to writing in first person, it felt really weird not to, so that could change. If people like/review/follow/whatever this chapter enough i might update it soon, otherwise it might have to wait until after i finish my other fic. So please review and let my know what you think, or any ideas, i'd love to hear them! - Brooke **


	2. Chapter 2

PEETA'S POV

I grab my bag a follow Katniss through the crowd of people flooding the cafeteria. The amount of people in the school is genuinely surprising and too many times today I've found myself sifting through the crowd, paying attention to my new classmates in a way I normally wouldn't back home. _Home_. I need to stop saying that. This is my home now, I guess. Knowing Delly was defiantly a calming thought today, despite the fact that we don't have any classes together, I still made her promise to meet me at lunch.

"_I'll introduce you to my friends! Don't worry, they're all nice, and they won't bite … except maybe Johanna." _She had insisted earlier. I guess she was right though, even if I barely spoke to them. I'm just glad they didn't make a fuss and stare at me as if I was some sort of alien. I'd have hated that.

Katniss turned around and pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I'll show you the shortcut. If we're gonna have to spend the next two lessons listening to old Mrs. Brown drain on and on about how today's generations don't appreciate everything their ancestors fought for, we may as well sit at the back, where she won't see us zoning out." She laughed, pushing her dark braid across her shoulder.

"What, don't you like History?" I asked her, giving a slight laugh, and becoming unsure about what to expect from the next two lessons.

"Oh, no, I love it. But, once you've spent the last 5 months listening to the same speech every Wednesday afternoon, you'll know what I mean." She smiles

I followed her down a couple corridors and through what I think is a construction and technology centre, filled with guys who are nearly twice my size. We leave that building and come out at another corridor, one that's pretty much empty. We follow this corridor down for about 20 metres, until Katniss stops suddenly in front of a door marked with the number _32_.

"And there we have it" Katniss smiles, lightly lifting her hands into the air and clasping them together in front of her chest.

"I guess I can't really tell how great your short cut is, considering I'd have no idea how to get here anyway." I joke, raising an eyebrow.

She opens her mouth in mock horror and feigns shock at my accusation. "Good luck getting here by yourself next week." She jokes, heading to a table at the back of the classroom. I follow her down and take a seat next to her, thankful that I wouldn't run the risk of coming late to class and having everyone look at me all lesson.

"So, have you lived here you whole life?" I ask Katniss as a steady flow of students enter the classroom.

She sighs and gives a half-hearted smile "Yep. I'm just looking forward to vacation, so I can finally get out of this place for a little while. How about you, how're you liking town?" she asks, pulling her books out of her bag.

"Uh, yeah it's pretty different from where I used to live. It's a lot nicer in some ways – more peaceful compared to the city. But, I dunno, it still doesn't feel right, I guess." I tell her, trying to think of the right thing to say. People had been asking me for three weeks how I liked it here, and I still didn't have a good answer.

"Yeah, I guess it'd take a bit of getting use to." Katniss agreed

"Mmhm. And then when we got here, my brothers pretty much pinned me to the ground for five minutes so they could get the bigger rooms." I tell her with a laugh, shaking my head slightly. This makes Katniss laugh, and I can't help but notice how nice of a smile she has.

"That doesn't seem fair." She laughs

"Nah, I guess I'm used to it. They're both …. Well, you can't pick your family, right?" I sigh, thinking of how many times I've drawn the short stick for them. I can never tell if they appreciate it, but if they do, they sure have a bad way of showing it. "How about you, got any siblings?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I've got a sister, Prim. She means everything to me." She says slowly, with a smile that she can't seem to hide.

"That's really sweet." I tell her with a smile.

The teacher enters the classroom and begins the lesson with a huff. She doesn't look like she wants to be here too much, but then again, I doubt half of the students want to be here either. She bustles around the room for a while, getting everything sorted – which seems to be taking a while. After about ten minutes she decides to put on a documentary, instructing us to take notes as it goes. She goes about class as if I weren't new; she doesn't say hello, or introduce herself. It doesn't bother me though, and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't know I was even here.

I do my best to try and focus but it's nearly impossible after such a long day. I don't particularly want to get in trouble on the first day but, we've already covered Ancient Civilisations back home, and my concentration is diverted at best. I take a pen from my bag and begin drawing on my notepad in front of me. At first I try to look inconspicuous, but then I remember that we were already supposed to be taking notes, so trying to be discreet doesn't bother me.

The class drags on and already I'm beginning to understand what Katniss meant earlier about our teachers; the rude looks and glares she sends through the class every-so-often don't really help. I feel a nudge on my arm and turn to find Katniss looking quizzically between me and the page I'd been drawing on.

"That looks really cool." She whispers, picking up my notebook to study the drawings further.

"Oh, uh, thanks" I tell her quietly with an odd smile; I've never really know how to take or reply to compliments.

"How did you get this good?" she asks

"Oh, I …. Practise, I guess?" I shrug, not entirely sure how I'd even started drawing. I remember when my mother had first found out that I liked to draw; she'd pretend it was something a boy should spend his time doing and pretty much did all she could do to try and make me stop. And I nearly did stop, just to make her happy and avoid the conflict she'd obviously raise from it. She doesn't have much of a sense of nurture, or love or praise; or many she does and doesn't let it show, either way, she's never really pleased with anything I do.

I feel a nudge on my side, bringing me out of my thoughts once again, and see Katniss standing up and collecting her books. I look at her expectantly, obvious that I've missed something.

"Class is over." She laughs, putting her books into her bag; this time with more ease.

"Oh, right, thanks." I laugh nervously, collecting my things and following her out of the classroom.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, during break?" she asks with a smile

"Yeah, I guess you will. Thanks for showing me around, it was nice to sit through a class and actually know someone." I smile to her in thanks.

"Not a problem!" She laughs, taking her bag and turning to leave, not before giving me a quick wave.

I returned her smile and headed down the hall and out the front of the school. I'm not entirely in the mood to head home and be bombarded with questions from my Dad, or abuse from my Mom, so I sit at the park around the block from my house. Its peaceful here – quite- so unlike home, where you can never escape the noise of the city. I take out my sketch book and try to allow the image of gorgeous brown-haired girl to escape my mind. Yet to no avail.

* * *

**Hey guys! i just wanna say first of all; it was really, really cool to see how many of you read/reviewed this story after only a few hours! And secondly, sorry for taking so long to update this! I was really busy the last few weeks, so i apologize, but i hope you like the Chapter anyway! Also, let me know what you think, or where you think the story should go, or particular POVS. This chapter was in Peetas POV as requested, so I hope you enjoyed it! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

KAT NISS'S POV

"It's finally the last day of school!" Delly squealed from beside me, squeezing my shoulders excitedly. We head into the cafeteria together for lunch and find the others at our usual spot, all deep in excited conversations that were probably revolving around the same topic Dellys been talking about all afternoon; it's like she's a broken record.

"We still have to come back for exams and graduation, Delly!" I tell her, trying to suppress a smile.

"Gosh! Way to be a buzz-kill Katniss! That kind of stuff doesn't even count anyway!" She tells me nonchalantly, yet with a smirk that tells me she's planning to have a fun break. Her enthusiasm makes me smile for a moment, until the reality of the next few weeks begins to dawn on me for about the thousandth time this week. The fact that in a little over two months, school will be finished for ever really scares me. It scares me so intensely that, for a moment, I have to squeeze my eyes shut in order to block out the nerves, stop myself from cracking under my own pressure, and bring myself back to reality. I'm not usually the one to be scared of things; hunting with Gale, scary movie marathons, even as a kid I was never scared of the dark. But this has me on edge like nothing else has before. I divert my thoughts and try to focus on the next day; the day we finally leave for our camping trip! Peeta had agreed to come as soon as we'd asked him, and it was nice to see he was getting along with the group so well. Delly was certainly right about him and I was glad she had introduced him to us those few ago. Within a few days I found myself eagerly awaiting History lessons in order to spend time with him. I felt like I could now consider him as a friend - as I would Finnick, Gale, or Thom - despite only knowing him for a short time.

"Last day of school, Catnip Get excited!" Gale tells me excitedly, accepting Finnicks high-five from across the table. I scowl at him for calling me 'Catnip' once again, despite how many times I've told him to stop, but sometimes I can't help but laugh at him.

"This barely even counts as the last day! We still have to come back!" I laugh at them, shaking my head as they feign shock.

'Buzz-kill!" Finnick coughs under his breath.

"Thankyou!" Delly agrees with an exasperated sigh

"What!? It's true, you guys are just being naïve." I tell them as I push my braid from my shoulder.

The group settle into a chorus of how my theory is wrong and how I should keep my thoughts to myself if I'm going to bring down the mood of others. I do my best to convince them that surely I'm not the only one who thinks of it like that, but I'm met with their rejections.

"Face it, you're out numbered Katniss!" Johanna smirks

"Oh, well nearly. You'll have to ask Peeta, too" Annie says quietly, nodding her head toward the end of the table where Peeta had just arrived.

"Peeta, do you consider this as the last day of school?" Johanna asks loudly

Peeta looks around the group of us, evidently not really sure what any of us are talking about. I catch his eye; he shoots me a quizzical look and then smiles as I pull my braid back over my shoulder, smiling at him empathically.

"Not really, no. I mean we still have exams and all of that stuff." He says slowly, the end of his sentence drowned out as the table erupted in sarcastic comments.

"Well then, you and Katniss can go and form your own group, because you obviously don't belong here!" Finnick jokes as Peeta takes a seat at the opposite end of the table.

I playfully punch Gale in the arm and roll my eyes at him, a little more annoyed than I care to let on. Even though I know they were only joking, I didn't exactly appreciate being made fun off, especially being outweighed by the whole group. Admittedly, I was thankful Peeta agreed with me. I nervously pull at the ends of my braid and catch Peetas eyes on me. I look up at him and meet his gaze, giving him a half smile. He laughs a little and gives me a small wink and automatically I can feel my face growing red. I avert my eyes and drop my gaze down to my food while I do my best to sort out my thoughts, because I know I can't be thinking what I am. I poke at my food with my fork; no longer really in the mood to eat, having lost my appetite

I feel a kick under the table and look up to meet Madge's eyes on mine, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She laughs a little when she sees me turn red under her gaze, but I know I can trust her not to tell anyone. To be honest, I don't even know what it is that she's keeping secret; I blushed. That's it. It's not like she caught us making out behind the classrooms or anything. It's almost as if my thoughts have all jumbled into one causing my lack of certain knowledge regarding my own feelings.

The bell goes, signalling the end of the lunch period, but being the last day of school we get the last two lessons off to study. And I couldn't be more thankful to get out of here early.

"Don't forget! My house! Eight O'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late or I'll leave with out ya. I'll call you all tonight and go ever the plan for the thousandth time!" Gale practically shouts from next to me. His call is answered from shouts of excitement from the group and yet another high-five from Finnick. I murmur an agreement to Gale, collect my things and head to my locker in a progressively irritated mood.

I pull a pile of books from my locker and spend a few minutes in an attempt at allowing them all to fit. The small bag I have doesn't exactly accommodate for the large pile of books I plan on taking home over the break, so I compensate by grudgingly carrying about eight on them in my arms. One thing's for sure; the walk home isn't gonna be fun.

My eye catches on the small photo of Prim and I that hangs on the inside of my locker. I can't help but smile at the picture of the two of us, remembering the day this picture was taken so clearly. The next photo is of my parents together; one of the only ones I have of them. The resemblance between my father and I is somewhat shocking, I notice, as I bring my finger up and touch his cheek as if it would somehow connect us once again.

I gently shut my locker and turn only to find Peeta standing beside me, causing me to jump quickly out of my own little world.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Peeta smiles gently.

"It's ok, I was off in my own little world." I tell him, shifting the weight of the books between my arms.

"Here, let me." Peeta says, effortlessly taking the pile of books out of my arms and ignoring my rejections.

"How long were you standing there?" I ask curiously as I raise an eyebrow at him

"Long enough." Peeta says with a coy smile, turning on his heel and heading down the corridor.

Long enough? What was that supposed to mean? I didn't even know he was there, and now I realise that he probably caught me looking at my photos and getting all sentimental.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, practically running down the hall to catch up with him.

He laughs at my response and pushes his blonde hair away from his eyes. "Nothing, Katniss. So, you heading home?" he asks

"Yeah, I was going to pack for tomorrow, but I'll probably just end up sitting there, staring at my bag and having no idea what to do." I shrug. "How about you?"

"Sounds like a pretty crazy night. Nah, I'm gonna head to the park for a while and study or something. Better than being home." He laughs with a shrug.

"Why's that?" I ask curiously before I can stop myself.

"Oh, I just kind of get in the way this time of day. It doesn't matter if I try to help out; I manage to get in someone's way. It's just easier not to go home for a little while." He says with a sad smile.

I look up to Peeta, who's considerably taller than me, and find that his eyes portray a little more unhappiness than he'd probably care to let on. He just shrugs like he's used to it; which makes _me _sad too because he's too good of a person to be made to feel insignificant, especially by his family.

"Want some company?" I smile

"What? Really?" he asks, his smiles lighting up.

"Sure! I mean, it definitely beats packing and either way I'll just end up chucking a bunch of clothes in a bag tomorrow morning." I tell him

"Are you sure, Katniss?" he asks, chewing anxiously on his bottom lip.

"Yes! C'mon, let's go!" I laugh putting my hand on the small of his back and urging him forward.

He leads the way to a park about a mile away from school and we spend most of the time talking about the next day and the weeks after it. I thank Peeta for his perfect timing during lunch and he only laughs at me a little. We arrive at the park which is, thankfully empty, and take a seat at one of the tables. Peeta hands me my books and takes in a deep breath once he's seated.

"So, what do you do here after school? Is it always this peaceful?" I ask, making another attempt to fit my books in my bag.

"Yeah it's usually quiet, a few little kids now and then, but they're alright. I dunno really, sometimes I do homework or study or draw, nothing interesting really." He smiles

"Draw? What kind of things do you draw?" I ask him as my curiosity gets the better of me.

"Oh, uh, the sunset, or whatever's on my mind. Just little, odd things I guess." He shrugs.

About an hour passes at the park with Peeta until my phones buzzes from inside my bag. I pull it out and find a message from Prim;

'_Katniss, Mum's still at work and I've forgotten my keys, can you help come and help me? Sorry!' _

I read the message and laugh a little at the fact that my sister, who is possibly the most organized person I know, has forgotten something like her keys.

"Is everything ok?" Peeta asks quietly

"It's my sister, Prim; she's locker herself out and needs my keys. I'm gonna have to get going, sorry." I sigh, collecting my things.

"That's cool, I understand. Thanks for coming; it was nice to have some company here for a change." Peeta smiles, standing up.

I smile in return and pull my bag over my shoulder with a sigh.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I smile

"Are you looking forward to it?" Peeta smiles

"Like you would not believe." I laugh

"Seeya Katniss." He smiles with a slight wave

I head down the path and quickly send Prim a messages telling her that I'll be there as soon as possible. The afternoon turned out to be better than I had expected and it was certainly better than spending the night staring a pile of clothes; wishing they would pack themselves.

"Katniss, wait!" I hear Peeta call me name from behind and I turn to find him jogging up the path toward me.

"You forgot this." he says with a smile, handing me one of my books.

I reach out to take the book from his hand and for a moment our hands touch causing what feels like an electric shock to emanate through my body. Our hands don't move as I shift my eyes up to meet his and it feels like I couldn't divert my attention if I tried. A small, innocent smile plays on Peetas lips and I can feel my face growing red.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." He says quietly

"See you tomorrow" I agree, finding it difficult to talk any louder than a whisper

I hurry off down the path and turn my head back after a minute or so to find Peeta still standing there, his hand on the back of his head, looking up to the sky. I smile a little to myself before a rush of thoughts and emotions run through my. Did that happen? Did he feel it too? Or was I imagining it? Either way, one thing's for sure; I was looking forward to tomorrow more than ever. I was both interested and nervous to see Peeta the next day but I found myself anticipating it for a mix of reasons; too many of them involving him. A feeling had stirred inside of me, right at the bottom of my stomach, one that sent shivers through my body and made it impossible to ignore, no matter how desperate my efforts were.

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**Hey guys! Here's Chapter 3, i hope you like it! I really wanna hear you ideas, what you thought of the chapter, where you want to see the story going. Do any of you want to see the POVs from other apart from Katniss & Peeta? Finnick, Gale, Johanna, etc? Please let me know what you think! And thanks for all the reviews/follows/etc it really does mean a lot and it's really motivating! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

KATNISS POV

I slam my hand down onto my alarm clock and let out a deep sigh. The day I've been looking forward to for the past 7 weeks is finally here, but I'm not as excited as I was last night. The memory of yesterday afternoon with Peeta runs through my mind, making me smile as I prop myself up on one elbow. Pushing my hair out of my face I pick up my phone, shielding my eyes from the bright light. I flick the light on and groan, remembering the pile of clothes that I blatantly ignored last night still sitting on the floor next to my suitcase. Gale says that the weather at lake is normally warm during the days, but the nights get a little cool; which really didn't help me with my packing crisis. So I just decided to pack a bit of everything and even thought I'd probably run out of clothes after the first week, I didn't really care. I reluctantly get up and made an attempt to cram all of the clothes into the bag, not before taking out a pair of shorts, a jumper and my converse.

I head to the bathroom, turn on the shower, and step under the warm rain pouring from the shower-head Washing my hair would be a smart idea considering I don't know how often I'd get the chance once we're gone, but I decided against it. I'm already running late as it is. I sigh, turn of the warm water, step out of the shower and get dressed. Pulling my hair back into a braid I leave the bathroom and add a few extra things into my suitcase. I really don't know what to expect from the next few weeks and to be honest I think that's the most exciting thing about it. The consistency and stability around my school life, as good and reliable as it is, is draining and unexciting. Different and new would be good, at least for a little while.

There's a small knock on my door and I look up to find Prim sticking her head around the door.

"Delly and Madge are here." Prim says with small smile.

"Ok, I'll be down in a couple of minutes." I tell her with a smile. She looks at me with a quite look on her face, she looks worried.

"Come here, Little Duck." I say sitting back down on my bed, patting the spot next to me. She walks in slowly and takes a seat beside me.

"You know if you need me I'm only a phone call away, right?" I ask her. She replies with a small nod.

"Even if it's the middle of the night, ok?"

"I know, Katniss. I'll be fine, I'm just nervous for Camp tomorrow." She says quietly, a nervous smile lingering on her face.

"You're going to have a great time, I promise. You'll meet lots of nice friends, too." I tell her tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I know" she smiles looking a little more confident now.

"Never know, maybe there'll even be some cute boys." I laugh, playfully nudging her with my arm.

"Katniss!" She laughs.

"Just a phone call away, ok? " I tell her pulling her up into a hug. "I'll miss you, Little Duck"

"I'll miss you, too" she says quietly.

I pick up my suitcase and lug it down the stairs, greeting Delly and Madge outside. Delly is practically bouncing off the walls at this point; it'll be hard to imagine what she'll be like when we get there. I take a seat in the back of Delly's car for the few minutes it takes to get to Gales house. By the time we've arrived everyone else is already there, scattered around Gales front yard, their excitement hard to miss. I notice Peeta sitting against the bonnet of the car, talking to Thom, and my heart skips a beat, creating butterflies in my stomach.

The group converge on the driveway to listen to Gale go over the plan for the one hundredth time since yesterday. We're taking two cars, Gale and Delly are each driving, which leaves the rest of us to pick who we want to drive with. To be honest, I plan on just trying to sleep most of the way there, so I'm not fussed who I go with. While the others right about who they're going with, I head back over to Dellys car and dig through my bag to find my headphones. Finnick, Annie, Thom and Johanna decided to go with Delly, leaving Madge, Peeta and I with Gale.

Gale leads the way, with me riding Shotgun, Peeta and Madge in the back. The traffic is heavy throughout the city and it isn't until we reach the countryside that it opens up. The first hour passes with the four of us playing a game of I Spy.

" I Spy with my little eye something that begins with A" Gale announces with a smile across his face.

"Is it inside or outside of the car?" Madge asks

"Both" Gale replies causing Peeta, Madge and I to exchange confused looks.

"What? How can it be both? Peeta laughs

"It just is! Obviously you guys aren't looking very hard!" Gale says shaking his head in disappointment.

"Ok, we give up, what is it?" Madge ask throwing her hands in the air in defeat.

"Air." Gale laughs, obviously happy with himself and his victory.

"You can't see air, Gale!" I tell him, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah, so?" he says

"_I Spy_. You have to actually _see _it. That's the whole point of the game!" Peeta laughs

"You guys couldn't have told me that before?" He asks laughing.

The car erupts in laughter, causing Gale to turn a little red. The rest of the car ride there is pretty much the same, that is, until I fall asleep, because the next thing I know, Gale shaking me awake.

"Wake up, Katniss! We're here!" he shrieks with excitement, running off down the path.

I climb out of the car with a yawn, only to stand there in awe of our home for the next few weeks. The lake seems to be at the centre of the park, surrounded by small cabins and eating areas. There's a dock down by the lake and a sandbar about 100 meters down from it. There's a soccer pitch, a volleyball court and a basketball court. I can't believe Gale kept this place a secret until now.

"Not bad, hey?" Peeta says from beside me

"To say the least" I reply, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"You missed it, it took Gale about an hour to grasp I Spy properly." Peeta laughs

"Of course it did" I laugh rolling my eyes "How long was I asleep for?"

"About two and a half hours" Peeta says as he takes some bags from the back of Gale's car.

"Where are all the others?" I ask as I pull my hair from its braid

"Gales signing in, the others have gone somewhere to start cooking, I think" Peeta tells me

"So they just, what, left you to unpack?" I laugh, pulling my hair over my shoulder

"Looks like it" he laughs as he pulls off his jumper. I can't help notice his stomach as his t-shirt lifts up; his muscles are hard to miss, as is the small trail of blonde hair that runs below his belly button. The memory of yesterday afternoon comes flooding back to me as I avert my gaze to the lake, feeling my face turn red.

"Your hair looks pretty down, by the way." he says quietly giving me a shy smile.

I pull at the ends of my hair and feel my face turn increasingly red. I smile in return looking down at the ground. Compliments were never something I'd dealt with well. Not that I got them often. I look back up, finding Peetas eyes on me. He's smiling at me and something about it sends the butterflies in my stomach into overdrive. These feelings are so foreign to me, so much so that I don't know how to act, or what to say. It's like I've completely forgotten how to function properly. It takes a few moments to bring myself back to reality, back to Peetas piercing blue eyes looking down at me.

"C'mon." He says "Let's go find the others. I can finish this off later."

Peeta takes off down the dirt path that leads away from the two cabins. I smile to myself and follow him down. The butterflies are taking over and these are feelings I can't just suppress now, despite how hard I might try. I wouldn't have the slightest clue about how to begin deciphering them and I think part of this excitement is not knowing how I feel, what to do or how to act. The next few weeks I know will be interesting and I'm finding myself, more than ever, anticipating the unexpected and unpredictable possibilities of this vacation.

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**Hey guys! I'm so sorry that this took so long, I've just been really busy with School because of exams, and work too. But, i've got something cute planned for the next chapter, sort of. So please, please let me know what you think, i really like getting reviews and ideas and it's cool seeing what you guys want to happen/think will happen. Are there any particular POV you wanna see? or any two that you want to see end up together? Please let me know! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

KATNISS' POV

We all sit around a barbeque area to eat dinner. For our first night here we all thought it would be easiest to cook a barbeque and relax after the long drive. Gale seemed to have other plans in mind though, cracking out the beer after an hour. Annie and I sit together chatting about our drives up until Finnick tells us he has an announcement to make. He stands up, accepting a beer from Gale and dramatically clearing his throat.

"Ladies, Gentlemen …. And Gale. I wouldn't pick a better bunch of people to be here with, with no school and nothing to worry about, so Here's to us, and this vacation!" he says with a beaming smile. We all cheer and laugh as Finnick takes his seat again, not before taking a bow.

After about an hour Gale announces a makeshift game of Beer-Pong which makes me groan. Drinking games are something that I am neither good at, nor enjoy, but they're so typical Gale, I should have seen it coming. While the others are setting up in, as inconspicuously as possible, head over to the dock to watch the sunset. It's quiet and peaceful here and there is definitely no rick of drinking games here, so I take a seat on the old wooden dock and look out over the peaceful lake. Only about 15 minutes pass until I hear a voice from beside me.

"Hey" Peeta says standing beside me. I look up at meet his gaze as he smiles and takes a seat on the dock next to me.

"You trying to avoid getting smashed from Gales drinking games, too? " I ask looking out over the lake. I hear him chuckle a little to himself.

"Soft of, I just needed time to …. Think, I guess." He says slowly, seemingly picking his words carefully. He stretches his legs out along the wooden dock and leans back against the railing next to me.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask, looking at him now. He chuckles again

"Yeah, something like that." He says quietly, looking back at me.

The night around us is growing darker and colder but the sunset still dominates the sky, creating a spectacular picture across the horizon. I don't think I'd ever get sick of watching the sun set here. I look over at Peeta who's looking out across the lake, but he doesn't appear to really be seeing it. There some sort of internal battle going on within him and he looks like he's about to self-destruct. Yet, despite all of this, being in such close proximity of him gives me chills and makes the butterflies in my stomach go crazy, again.

'Have you ever wanted something so badly it hurts? Like, you just want to do everything you can to get it, but you don't know if you should because you don't want things to end badly? You're too scared, or too unsure?" He asks after a few minutes, a sudden intensity in his voice.

"I … I don't know" I tell him honestly, not entirely sure what he's talking about or how I can help him. He sighs and considers my answer for a minute.

"What if there was something or someone who you know would be able to help? Give you answers to your questions? Would you tell them?" he asks, his eyebrows dipped into a frown as he looks out over the lake again. I think for a moment, trying my best to put myself into a situation like he's describing.

"Yeah, I think I would. I mean, if it would help, why not? Anything's better than sitting in the dark and not knowing what to do, isn't it?" I tell him following his eyes down the lake.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." He agrees with a sigh.

"Peeta, what is all this about?" I ask lightly, raising an eyebrow.

He looks at me and then drops his gaze down to the wooden planks holding the dock together. He takes a deep breath and moves so he's facing me. I look into his eyes, looking for some sort of indication as to what he's talking about. But I find nothing, only his bright blue eyes looking at me through the increasing darkness of the night.

"Katniss I, uh, I really like you. I have for a while now, I'm sorry, I just needed to tell you. It's selfish of me, I know, but it was killing me keeping it a secret." Peeta says quietly, letting out a deep breath and running his hand through his hair.

I take a moment to take in what he's said, but I can't concentrate due to the feeling in the bottom of my stomach re-igniting. I smile creeps onto my face and I don't try to hide it, but I can feel Peetas eyes searching my face, trying to decode my reaction. I pull the sleeves of my jumper around my hands and take a deep breath, trying to find the right words to use. All this time, these past few weeks, this feeling of butterflies – it all counts now. The thoughts and feelings I've had toward Peeta all align.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything. I'll just ….Sorry." Peeta says positioning himself to stand up. He looks down at me; the pain on his face is unmistakable.

"Peeta, wait" I say quietly, grabbing his hand before he stands up.

"Katniss, you don't have to say anything, I was wrong to tell you." He said sadly.

"Yes I do, would you please just wait a minute?" I ask, looking up at him. He looks at me expectantly, but doesn't leave.

"When my Dad died I had to watch my family go through this heartbreak that was so bad I pretty much lost both parents, my sister was a mess for a long time. I swore to myself that I would do all I could to make sure they wouldn't have to go through something like that ever again. That kind of pain, it's not right. These past few months, I've been too scared to accept my feeling for you, I didn't want to expose myself to that kind of potential pain, that kind of … Vulnerability, I guess. I was afraid to let myself believe in the good aspects of things because too often they're overthrown because of the bad." I say quietly, not breaking eye contact with Peeta.

"I would never hurt you, Katniss." Peeta says with such intensity and sincerity in his eyes that it's almost overwhelming.

"I know that" I say as my voice catches.

I can feel Peetas eyes piercing through mine, a newfound look to them that I can't yet describe. Peeta leans back against the railing again, his intensity has subsided for now. We both look out over the lake, trying to sort out our thoughts and feelings. I know that if there's any possibility of this – of us – It has to be now.

"Do you really want to do this?" I ask him, my voice barely audible. He turns his head and locks his eye contact with mine, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Only if you do." Peeta replies quietly, the intensity evident in his voice again. We're sitting closer now, the space between us slowly decreasing.

I nod my head yes and take in a deep breath without taking my eyes of his. The butterflies in my stomach have gone into over-drive and my hearts beating so loud I wouldn't be surprised if Peeta could hear it. Slowly, our heads move closer to each other until our lips meet. The kiss is slow at first, until the intensity between us increases and I find my hand winding its way through Peetas hair. His hand rests against my cheek causing that spot to tingle. I can feel him smiling before we pull away and his eyes meet mine once again. The smile on Peetas face is one I haven't seen before – one that looks so happy you could dampen his mood if you tried.

He's still smiling when I tell him I promised the Annie I'd be back at 9. We walk back to the cabins together and find that the boys have taken their party inside. We stop around the corner of our adjoining cabins for a moment.

"What do we tell the others?" I ask him quietly, biting my bottom lip intently.

"Why don't we just wait and see how this goes for a little bit, then we can tell them?" Peeta suggests. I nod and smile; thankful that he had a good idea, otherwise I would have turned into a mumbling mess if anyone brought up the subject. Checking the time on my watch I wrap my arms around Peeta and rest my head against his chest. A few minutes pass after what feels like a second as Peeta hugs me back, running a hand down my hair.

"Goodnight, Katniss' He says quietly as he gently plants a kiss on the top of my head. I'm thankful for the cover of the dark night around us as I start to blush.

"Goodnight" I whisper as he turns and walks back to his cabin. I hear him laugh to himself as he noticed Gale stumbling around the porch. I head to my own cabin and prepare myself to act as natural as possible. Despite it being only 9 I climb into my bed with a smile.

These past few weeks, all these feelings that I couldn't comprehend now all make sense. Peeta had to have felt it too which makes me feel better. This wasn't exactly the 'different and new' I had in mind but all I can think about now is his smile and what the next few weeks will hold for us. I fall to sleep replaying the last hour in my head, excited for the following day.

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**Hey! Thank you all for the reviews, please keep them coming! here's the sort of cute chapter i had in mind, hopefully you like it, please let me know what you think and anything you'd like to see happen between them! Read and Review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

PEETAS POV

Two days had passed since Katniss and I decided to try this out. This – _us_ – it still feels so surreal and unbelievable, yet so impossibly good at the same time. Trying to act normal around the others is probably one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time. Just seeing her sitting across from me, laughing and joking with the others, it takes all my restraint not to do anything. For the past two days I've been replaying the other night over and over in my head, trying to remember the feeling of her lips against mine, her hand in my hair. But we've barely had more than five minutes together since that night.

"Ahh, Peeta! Just the man I've been looking for!" Gale says, lightly slapping my back as I walk into our cabin.

"Dude, what's up?" I ask taking a seat on the kitchen counter after pulling a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I'm supposed to be cooking dinner tonight, but I completely forgot that Finn and I we're supposed to be speaking to Haymitch, the park owner, about hiring a boat. So I kinda need you to cover for me?" Gale pleads with a desperate look on his face.

"Yeah, not a problem." I agree, laughing as Gale sighs with relief, so much so that you'd think he'd just been let off the hook for murder.

"Thank you so much, dude, I owe you big time! Gotta go tell Finnick" Gale shouts back at me as he hurries off out the door.

In a way I'm thankful for having the dinner shift tonight because it means I won't have to sit across the campfire from Katniss and pretend that nothing's going on. That is until later tonight when we actually eat, but nonetheless I'll have a little peace of mind, even if it is only for an hour or so.

"I'm gonna go find the others, you cool here?" Thom asks grabbing a drink from the fridge

"Yeah, go for it, I'll meet you all later." I insist

"Sweet, thanks man" Thom say with a smile as he walks out the door.

About 20 minutes pass until there's slight knock on the door and Katniss walks in looking a little confused.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" I ask with a smile as she pulls on the ends of her ponytail.

"Gale asked me to help him with dinner, but I'm guessing he's not here?" Katniss asks looking around the living area.

"Nope, he and Finnick went to talk to the park owner, so I'm doing dinner tonight." I tell her with a laugh.

I watch her ask as she wanders across the room and takes a seat at the table opposite me.

"Well, he's an idiot then." She says hugging her knees to her chest "He made me come here to help him cause he's a horrible cook, let's face it."

"Looks like you're stuck with me then." I tell her shrugging my shoulders.

"Oh, what a shame" She laughs sarcastically "So, the others have all gone out on the lake?"

"Mhmm." I nod, watching Katniss as she stands up and makes her way over to stand in front of me.

Katniss slowly wraps her arms around my waist, stands on her toes and kisses me softly on the lips. It's the type of kiss that sends shivers down my spine, the type that only leaves me wanting more. I gently pull her a little closer to me and kiss her back. Her hand winds its way through my hair again making me weak at the knees. Under the pressure of our kiss I can feel her smiling which only ignites the feeling in my stomach more. After a moment we pull away from one another and I can't help but notice the innocent smile playing on her lips.

"I've missed you." I tell her quietly "A lot."

"I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up around the others." Katniss says with a slight laugh. I couldn't agree with her more

"Speaking of the others" she begins "They don't seem to have a problem just leaving you by yourself, do they?"

"I guess. I don't really mind though, I'm kinda used to being alone." I tell her pulling myself up into the counter again.

"Really?" she asks, obviously not convinced by my confession.

"Really, Katniss" I smile "I'm used to it at home and I'll get used to it here." I tell her, placing my hands gently on her shoulders.

She sighs and sits back down, crossing her legs across the chair. "You're used to it at home? Like from your family?" Katniss asks slowly.

"Yeah" I tell her quietly, but the look on her face tells me that she wants me to explain a little further.

"My oldest brother, Alex, goes to college interstate, so I pretty much never see him outside of holidays or birthdays. Then there's Ryan, there's a couple of years between us, but we don't get along like you and Prim. We tolerate each other, I guess, but it's nothing too special. My Dad's the only one I'm close with really. When I was a kid he taught me a lot about the bakery, so I guess I have that to thank." I tell her quietly.

"And your Mum?" Katniss asks.

"I don't think she possesses a loving or nurturing gene, to be honest. Or if she does, she doesn't show it very well. Don't get me wrong, I love her, but I don't feel like I'll ever do her proud, y'know?" I say quietly

"No one deserves to feel like that" Katniss tells me, getting up off her chair and standing in front of me again. She takes my hands in both of hers and I stare down at them, intertwined together.

"No one. Especially not you, you're too kind and too generous to have people tell you you're not good enough." Katniss says quietly.

I look up and give her a weak smile; curiously as to how on earth someone like Katniss could _ever_ like someone like me.

"Thanks" I say quietly, kissing her forehead.

Katniss stands on her toes again and slowly wraps her arms around my neck, her face hovering only centimetres from mine. She gives me a shy smile and presses her lips against mine causing my insides to stir. I slide my arms around her waist and kiss her back until front door opens and Gale bursts in.

"Dude, Haymitch agree to – What the hell?" Gale says, his voice has an excited edge to it until he pauses mid-sentence.

The rest is in slow motion and Katniss pulls away from me, her arm lingering on my shoulder as Gale turns on his heel and leaves no sooner than he came in.

"Gale, Wait!" Katniss yells after him, following Gale out the front door and out into the park.

* * *

**Hey! Thank you heaps for the views/reviews! I really wanna try get to 50 revies by the end of they year, so that's sort of a goal of mine I geuss. But, I took some of your suggestions into consideration and, as requested, here's a chapter in Peetas POV, and someone suggested that Gale finds out about the two, so I've incorporated that into this chapter. R&R and Enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 7

KATNISS POV

"Gale! Please, just stop for a minute!" I plead running after him. But he keeps going and doesn't slow down. I run in front of him and place my hand briskly on his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"What Katniss? What do you want me to say? Are you two, what? Together now?" He demands with an indescribable look on his face.

I nod my head, feeling so inferior to him now. He just stands there looking at me. Trying to figure out what to say.

"Since when?" Gales asks as his eyebrows dip in concentration.

"A few days." I say quietly

"A few days? What the hell, Katniss? Where you even gonna tell us?" he asks

"We didn't even know if there was anything to tell yet Gale, you've gotta understand that!" I appeal desperately.

He stands there for a few minutes in silence, evidently not sure how to react or what to say and in the meantime I stand there, awkwardly twisting my hands together, being just as lost for words as he is. In my head I go over all the times Gale and I had spent together in my head; days in the woods, at school. I only come to the conclusion I can't lose him; we've been through too much together and the thought of losing him makes me sick to the stomach.

"Are you mad?" I ask him quietly, biting my lip and looking up at him through the strands of hair that have now fallen over my face.

"Mad? Katniss I'm hurt. I'm your best friend and I obviously didn't rate important enough to you for you to think to mention that you've been seeing one of our best friends for the past few days. "He says causing a pang of guilt to run through me.

"It's only been a few days" I say in a desperate attempt to justify my actions.

"And you couldn't find five minutes to mention it to me." He says. His voice isn't angry; it's hollow which is a hundred times worse.

"Gale…" I say quietly, blinking back tears.

"Just forget it Katniss" Gale says turning away from me and heading in the opposite direction.

The thought of following him again crossed my mind but I decide better of it. Instead I find myself buckling at the knees under the thought of losing Gale over something so trivial. Not that I would define Peeta and I as 'trivial' but, the matter of this issue is that neither of us thought to tell anyone, and in hindsight it was wrong of us. But, surely Gale sees my point? What if Peeta and I hadn't worked out within a few days? Wouldn't it be just as bad, on our part, if we were to break up and leave an uncomfortable mood between the rest of the group?

I take in a deep breath, push my hair out of my eyes and slowly head back to Peeta. Right now he's the only one who could comfort me. The walk seems to take longer than I remember due to the fact that I can't bring myself to walk with any form of intent or desperation.

I slowly open the door to find Peeta pacing throughout the living area. He looks up as I walk in and opens his arm for me, after taking one look at the distaste on my face. I don't hesitate as I walk into them, wrapping my arms around him and feebly attempting to hold it together. It's a futile attempt, at best, though; only about a minute passes until I give up on trying to hold back tears. Peeta just holds me for a moment, running his hand down my hair, before he leads me over to the table and insists I take a seat while he gets me a drink.

I cross my legs and lean against the table, resting my head in my hands. Peeta brings a glass of water over to me and sits down in the seat opposite.

"What happen?" He asks, his eyes softly looking into mine.

I look up to meet his gaze which causes a few stray tears to fall down my face.

"Katniss." Peeta says, looking somewhat hurt himself, taking my hand in both of his.

"He's just upset that I didn't tell him." I sniff as I wipe the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand. "I just don't know if he'll forgive me; I can't lose him Peeta."

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?" Peeta asks quietly.

I barely have to consider this for a moment because before it's even crossed my mind, I know Peeta's right. Gale means a lot to me, more than what we let on around the others. We've been through too much together for it to not be this way.

I nod in reply to Peeta while I blink back tears. "Ours fathers used to work together in the mines down state" I tell Peeta. "There was an accident and neither of them got out in time."

The look on Peetas face changes and his eyes fixate on mine, almost asking me to continue. I take in a deep, shaky breath and consider what to tell him.

"Gale and I knew each other, but we'd barely ever spoken until after it happened. My mum fell into a really bad depression and Prim didn't fully understand what was going on. Gales mum was doing all she could to support herself and three kids, but she was nearly 9 months pregnant. So Gale and I started to depend on one another, we became closer, and did all we could to help our families. We tried to earn extra money, or food – anything we could to do help, really. He was the only person I could rely on for a really long time. I can't lose him, Peeta." I say quietly, my voice growing in desperation toward the end as the realisation of what Gale and I had been through together began to dawn on me.

"I had no idea." Peeta admits quietly, which really doesn't surprise me considering Gale and I didn't exactly make a point of it. Everyone just thought we met a few years ago through school and we don't bother to tell them otherwise. It adds to much vulnerability to the situation and neither of us would willingly open ourselves to that again. Not after last time.

"No one really did." I tell Peeta "It's not exactly something either of us wants to bring up mid-conversation at school."

Peeta gives me a half-hearted smile and looks as if he understands our intentions.

"I just don't know what to do." I admit quietly, a heavy feeling weighing down in the bottom of my stomach.

"Why don't we just see how he is at dinner and if he seems alright, we can talk to him then. He might just need some space, Katniss." Peeta suggests in an attempt to lift my mood a little.

"Ok" I agree quietly, not entirely sure how his plan will work, if it will even work at all. Seeing Gale at dinner would just send waves of guilt and anger and unhappiness through me and I know I won't be able to retain something like that around the others.

* * *

About an hour later Peeta and I head to meet the others for dinner. As we grow closer to the canopy under which we eat I find myself walking closer and closer to Peeta, as if his body could protect me from the inevitable; Gales hurt-ridden eyes piercing right through me, the look I know is coming.

"It's gonna be ok, Katniss" Peeta say gently squeezing my hand in an act of reassurance. But I really don't know if it will be. As much as I want to believe him, I can't. Not until it truly is.

The others had all spent the afternoon on the lake after Gale and Finnick had hired a boat, Peeta tells me. They're all ecstatic about the thought of having it for the next week, but their hunger and growing fatigue trump their initial intentions of being on the lake all night.

I take a seat next to Annie in the hopes that she's isn't up for a good conversation, considering she usually isn't, but when Peeta tells me he's going to eat with Thom and Johanna I discreetly grab his wrist and gently pull him back to me.

"Would you stay with me? I don't think I can sit here like this all night?" I plead, biting my lip.

"Of course" he agrees almost immediately, taking a seat next to me and immediately I can feel myself become more at ease.

I can feel Gales eyes on the two of us from where he's sitting with Madge. We lock eyes for only a moment but it's long enough for me to see the hurt look in them. I sigh and bury my head in my hands having lost the small appetite I had acquired to begin with. By the look on his face, now does not seem like the right time to try to talk to Gale, I think all I could say now would only add fuel to his fire.

About an hour passes as the group slowly disperse most of them heading back to the lake – Gale included. I notice the disappointed smile lingering on his face as he follows Finnick, Thom, Johanna and Madge back to the lake. Delly and Annie decide to go for a walk, leaving Peeta and I alone again.

"We'll talk to him tomorrow." Peeta says looking me in the eyes, an optimistic look on his face.

I nod, crossing my arms over my chest as a cool gust of wind passes through the park. My body trembles in a set of small shivers causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end. Peeta looks at me, outside at night wearing only shorts and a t-shirt, and gives a smile and a slight laugh. He swiftly pulls off his jumper and offers it to me. I open my mouth to reject his offer – to tell him I'm fine, but he give's me a look that tells me he thinks otherwise. I smile and pull on his jumper, instantly feeling warmer. I notice, as I pull it on, that it smells of him, is comforting. The jumper is at least two sizes too big for me considering the sleeves fall way past my hands, restricting any use of them. I pull the sleeves up a little and give Peeta a small smile.

"C'mon." He says tiredly, taking my hand a heading back toward the cabins. I begin to favour the growing darkness of the night as I feel a rush of blood in my cheeks, undoubtedly causing them to turn red.

We head back to the cabins and wish each other a goodnight, not before Peeta gently pulls me into his arms and gives me a comforting hug and small kiss, leaving me with the promise to talk to Gale in the morning.

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**Hi! Here's chapter 7, I really hope you like it and I would love reviews with your own ideas or suggestions. Would you like to see Katniss make amends with Gale in the next chapter? or would you like to see Peeta talk to Gale without Katniss there? Keep the tension for a little while longer? What would _you_ like to see?**

**Please R&R! Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

It takes me about half the morning to find Katniss sitting down by the dock with Delly, Madge, Annie and Johanna. She's sitting next to Johanna, wearing shorts and my jumper despite the sun that's bearing relentlessly down across the lake. She looks up and catches my eye and begins to make her way over to me, not before hurriedly telling the others she'd be back soon. She gives me a slight smile as I shove my hands into my pockets and we begin walking, our backs toward the lake.

We walk together in silence for a couple of minutes, avoiding the thought of taking her hand in mine. I can't do that. Not here. I turn and face her, an expectant look on my face, once we're out of view from the lake.

"Have you spoken to him?" I ask her

She shakes her head "I can't ….I can't Peeta, I don't know what to say. I don't even know if he wants to talk to me."

"Katniss" I say taking her hands in my own, not caring about who sees "You have to at least try."

"I know I just …" she stops mid sentence, sighs and pushes her hair away from her face. Katniss looks up at me and shakes her head slightly again.

A knot twists through my stomach from just seeing Katniss upset. She's done nothing wrong, really. I mean, it was my idea not to tell anyone for a few days. Not hers. She wraps her arms around my waist causing a feeling of warmth to run through my body. I hug her back for a few minutes until we pull away from each other.

"I have to go meet the guys, but I just wanted to make sure you're ok" I tell her with a sigh.

"I'm alright. I'll see you later." Katniss says with a smile, standing on her toes and gently kissing me.

"Ok" I smile accepting her kiss and watching her slowly walk back to the dock.

I decide, before I even fully consider what impact – if any – it'd have, that I need to talk to Gale. So when I meet him, Finnick and Thom about 5 minutes later I run over a conversation in my head in with the desperate hope that the real one will be similar. Gale gives me a nod as if to say 'hey' once I meet them and I do my best to act natural around the others. I feel just as Katniss must. Somewhat inferior and slightly scared at the thought of confronting Gale. But I work up the guts and take a deep breath.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" I ask. He follows me a few metres away from the others and sighs.

"I already know what you're gonna say. I need to talk to Katniss, I know." Gale says quietly

"She's too worried to talk to you about it 'cause she thinks you're mad at her." I say trying to hide the desperate edge to my voice.

"She thinks that? I was just upset because it feels like she couldn't trust me enough to tell me about you two." He sighs, running his hands through his hair.

"You know she wouldn't think that. You were the only person she had for a long time, Gale." I tell him.

Gale sighs and turns around as if to see if the others were still there. He looks back at me and laughs through his nose, shaking his head slightly.

"So she told you, huh?" Gale asks with a slight laugh. I can only image that he's referring to what Katniss had told me yesterday about their fathers, so I nod my head and prepare myself for Gale to be somewhat annoyed that I know.

"Would you please just talk to her? She deserves at least that much doesn't she?" I ask, a little apprehensive about how Gale feels about my knowing what happened to him and Katniss all those years ago.

Gale nods "Yeah, I will."

I sigh in relief because I know Gale will follow through and talk to Katniss, or at the very least give her the confidence to talk to him. I feel a little more at ease now but there's one more thing on my mind.

"Are you and I ok? I wouldn't want anything to come between you and Katniss; I just want to make sure I'm not upsetting anyone or anything?" I say awkwardly, not knowing exactly how to word my sentence.

"Yeah, dude, it's ok. But if you hurt her, I'm going to have to bash you up, and I'd rather not do that." Gale jokes, cracking his knuckles and flexing his muscles. I laugh, knowing there's actually quite a lot of truth to what he says. I'd never hurt Katniss, though. Surely he knows that.

Gale outstretches his hand and I take it in my own, which to me is as good as a promise to follow through with everything the two of us have just discussed. The knots in my stomach begin to slowly disappear leaving me with the hope that within a couple of days everything will be back to normal. And maybe that even means that Katniss and I can stop pretending around the others because, really, I don't know how much longer I can keep up that act. All that matters now though, is the thought of how much happier Katniss will be in a short while and the fact that Gale approve of our relationship makes it all seem so much simpler.

* * *

**hey! I know this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but i wanted to get it up asap because it might be a little longer before i post next due to christmas and all of that kind of stuff. I hope you all like the chapter; i had a few reviewers who wanted to see Peeta and Gale talking and this is pretty much how i pictured it happening. please R&R, all suggestions, comments, etc are welcome! Hope everyone has a safe & happy christmas! :) **


	9. Chapter 9

KATNISS POV

Time always seems to go slower when you're anticipating something. Whether that something is good or bad, time is never really on your side. I sigh checking the time on my phone only to find that a mere minute has passed since I last checked. He probably won't come and to be honest I don't think I'd blame him if he didn't. Sure, I'd be disappointed. Hurt. But I wouldn't blame him for whatever reasoning lead to his decision. I should have told him, or given him some form of warning. But if he does come I'll at least have the opportunity to set it right. Gale deserved to know, I owe him that much. I left him a note a few hours earlier telling him to meet me at the dock at 8:30. I left it vague and unsigned, but he would know it was intended for him. And maybe, just maybe, he would come.

I check the time again; _8:35_. He's not coming. I sigh, leaning back against the old railing of the dock and rest my head in my hands. Elbow on shoulders. I should just accept it now rather than sit here for who knows how long hoping that he was just running late. Or forgot where I said to meet me. I compensate and agree with myself that I'll wait another five minutes, and if he doesn't show….. Well, I guess that'd mean he doesn't want to talk.

I've just about given up hope when I get up and turn around only to find gale standing behind me, a few metres away. Had he been there for a while? He's got his hand shoved in the pockets of his jeans and a small smile on his face.

"Didn't think you were gonna come" I tell Gale as he walks over to the dock and sits down next to me.

"Neither did I" he says with a slight laugh

"Look, Gale I'm really sorry, I should have told you." I say, getting right to the point before either of us say something we'll regret.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Katniss. I handled it badly; I should be the one apologizing to you." Gale sighs with a look of sincerity on his face.

We sit in silence for a few minutes as we take in each other's words and consider the how the past few days have affected each other.

"I spoke to Peeta this morning." Gale says "I know what you told him. You must really like him if you opened up about that."

"Do you mind that I did?" I ask him, intently chewing on my bottom lip and internally preparing myself for Gale to be upset again.

"Do I mind that you like him? Or do I mind that you told him?" Gale asks me with a laugh. My frown turns to a smile, the type that only Gale manages to draw from me.

"Both, I guess" I reply pulling on the ends of my hair and nervously awaiting his reply. Gale seems to take a few minutes to decide what he wants to say. Either that or he's enjoying watching me squirm in anticipation of his response.

"I don't mind either way Katniss." He smiles "But, I've already told him; if he hurts you, I'm going to have to bash him up."

"Gale!" I laugh punching him playfully in the ribs while he stretches his arms out in front of him a cracks his knuckles.

"What? It's my duty as your best friend, Catnip." He says proudly

"Ok, so does this 'best friend duty' require me to bash up Madge if she breaks your heart?" I raise an eyebrow at him. This sets him back a little.

"What do you mean?" Gale asks, his voice catching a little, an unmistakable blush rising in his cheeks.

"I can see the way you look at her, Gale. I'm not stupid …. Or blind." I tell him while a try to suppress a smile because the last thing I want is for him to think that I'm teasing him.

Gale shrugs in response and avoids my eye contact for a few minutes. But, try as he might, he won't be able to deny it because, really, I'm not sure how Madge hasn't noticed it herself. Most of the times we hang out as a group Gale's eyes wonder over to Madge which is something I've grown to notice. Gale sighs after a little while and turns to me, his grey eyes looking right into mine.

"You're not gonna tell her, are you?"

"Of course not, but I do think you should talk to her." I say

"Wouldn't make a difference" Gale retorts within a matter of seconds.

"Why wouldn't it?" I ask, a little confused about his current train of thought

"Katniss, we're talking about _Madge Undersee_. Her father owns this fancy law firm in town, I mean, have you _seen_ her? She'd never take a second look at someone like me." He sighs with a shrug, like this is his fate and he's already accepted it, no questions.

"Gale, you don't know that." I insist, a little surprised at his lack of confidence regarding Madge. He's had a couple of girlfriend before, but this seems to be an entirely new level. This obviously isn't just some crush.

"Ohwell, it's just how it is, I guess." He says with a sense of finality, like he wants to drop the subject, and right now, who am I to argue?

We slowly make our way back to the cabins which proves difficult in the darkness of the night. Gale walks with his hands in his pockets and a slight smile on his face; which makes me wonder if he'll consider talking to Madge. I can't help but hope that he does because, frankly I think they'd make an interesting couple because they're pretty much polar-opposites. But on another note, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders thanks to this talk with Gale. Peeta was right to suggest talking to him and I'm glad I did because it's given me a new prospect on the rest of this holiday. Nothing left to weigh it down. Except for the small issue of telling the others about Peeta and I.

* * *

**Hey! i hope you all had a nice Christmas and new years! sorry this took longer than normal, but it's here now, so i hope you like it! I was thinking about a surprise appearance from some of Peetas friends from his old school - in particular, the career pack? They'd only be there for a couple chapters, but I think it'd be a interesting way to introduce Katniss/Peeta as a couple to others in the story? How would you guys feel about that? Please let me know, R&R and enjoy! **


	10. Chapter 10

FINNICK POV

_6:15_. On the dot. She's never left any earlier or any later during the time that we'd been here. I presume she's also ruled out the fact that anyone else would be up this time of the morning, but, I guess I caught her out there. I watch as Annie discreetly, yet with a sense of casualty, wanders off to where she's been disappearing to each morning. It's not much of a hill really, not much for hiking or climbing or anything of the sorts, but none the less it's weird seeing Annie's small figure easily make her way to the top. It's still pretty dark out but it's obvious she knows her path clearly; unlike me, who keeps tripping on the branches and twigs that pop up out of nowhere. That doesn't phase me though; there's something about Annie, something I still can't put my finger on despite the countless times a day her face would turn up in my mind for hours on end.

I reach the top of the hill a few minutes after she does to find her sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, facing toward the lake where the sun is still rising. I accidentally snap a twig, breaking my last ten minutes of subtlety. _Very smooth, Finnick_ I think, _now she probably thinks you're some creepy paedophile following her around in the morning. _Annie whips her head around and looks up to me, sighing as she realises who it is.

"Oh, it's you, Finnick." She smiles

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I tell her, taking a seat on the ground beside her.

"It's alright." She says looking out over the horizon.

We sit there quietly for a few minutes and in that time it becomes clear why she's seems to like it up here; it's quite and the view of the lake it astounding as the sun reflects off the water. Annie sits there with her legs still hugged to her chest, her tangle of dark hair falling down her t-shirt. Her eyes are distant, almost as if she's forgotten I was there.

"So, what are you doing up here?" I ask her as I begin to pick at the grass beside me. But it's almost though she hasn't heard me. "Annie?" I say again a little louder this time.

"Huh?" she turns to face me, looking like I've pulled her out of her own little world. And with Annie, I probably have, it's not often she can have a conversation without getting lost at least once. I guess it was something about her that intrigued me.

"What are you doing up here?" I ask again with a laugh, looking into her eyes now that I've got her attention.

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing?" she smiles raising an eyebrow at me.

"Didn't think anyone else was awake this early." I give her a coy smile

"I like to watch the sunrise" Annie says returning my smile.

"This certainly seems like the place to do it, then" I say, motioning at the hill around us.

"So, how'd you know I was up here?" she asks, drawing circles in the dirt beside her.

"Like I said, I didn't think anyone else was awake this early." I tell her casually

"So you followed me?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow

"Well when you say it like that it doesn't nearly as impractical." I laugh, smiling as a smile appears on her face.

"So what did I do for the one and only Finnick Odair to follow me up a hill at quarter past six in the morning?" she smiles elbowing me in the ribs.

"You're very intriguing Annie." I tell her truthfully. She looks as if I've told her I believe in ghosts when she hears me, raising both her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Intriguing? How could I possibly be intriguing? Everyone else just thinks I'm weird." she says in an offhand way, not letting herself belief what I'd told her. Typical Annie, I guess.

"Well, everyone else hasn't been paying enough attention then." I say quietly.

Annie looks at me allowing a small smile to creep onto her face for a moment. She pushes her tangle of black hair away from her face and returns her stare to the lake, the sun's half way up the horizon by now casting orange and gold streaks across the sky. Annie let out a small sigh, stretches her arms out in front of her and lays back along the ground.

"Can I ask you something then, Finn?" I couldn't deny it; my stomach did flips when she called me Finn.

"Didn't you already?" I raise my eyebrow at her, allowing a slightly smug smile to creep onto my face.

"Shut it, Odair." Annie says lightly kicking my foot with her own. The smile on her face evident through her voice.

"But, go on." I insist, encouragingly waving my hand through the air in front of me.

"What exactly do you mean by 'intriguing'"? Annie asks looking up at me.

"Well, that's the thing Annie; I can't quite put my finger on it. No matter how many times I try, I can't pin-point it. But you'll be the first to know." I say looking over the lake in order to avoid her eye contact in the highly probable chance that I'd do or say something stupid. Normally stupid didn't bother me, but all that changes around Annie.

"Oh" Annie says quietly from behind me.

"Not what you were expecting?" I ask, turning to face her.

"I don't know what I was expecting to be honest." She says with a shy smile, twisting the ring on her middle finger.

What exactly was it about Annie that had me so intrigued? It was a simple question, really, but one that I couldn't answer for the life of me. Maybe it was the way her dark hair fell gently down her back, or the way she would seem completely lost in her own little world when you were talking to her. She wasn't like the others girls at school and maybe that was what had drawn me in, practically demanded I pay her attention whether she knows it or not. Whether I wanted to admit it or not; I'd been paying a lot of attention to Annie over the last few months, and unintentionally, she'd been creeping up on me. There wasn't much point in denying myself the simple, yet childlike pleasure of thinking that maybe I had a crush on her. But we weren't two kids in primary school anymore and that didn't seem like the right way to name it, only I couldn't wrap my head around it any other way.

Annie's quiet voice ringing in the air around us brought me back to reality. "We should probably head back."

"Yeah, probably." I agreed, standing up and dusting my hands against my shorts before offering her a hand up. Annie looked up and smiled as she took my hand.

"Race ya down?" Annie smirks raising both her eyebrows.

She's just about to take off down the hill before I catch her around the waist "It's on, Cresta."

Annie wiggles from my grip with a laugh and continues making her way down the path, a few paces ahead of me. I follow her down quickly in attempt to match her speed; but for someone so tiny she's faster than she looks, her laugh ringing across the hill. _Face it, Finnick _ I think _You've been keeping tabs on her, whether you like it or not; she's creeping up on you. May as well admit it._

* * *

**Hey! I've been reading too many Finnick/Annie fanfictions of late! so to suppress my urge to write full-fledge Finnick/Annie story I decided to condense it into a neat little chapter. It's pretty weak, but, by all means it you guys like their side of the story, please let me know and I'll keep it regular! Back to Katniss and Peeta next, with a little visit from the Careers and a slip of the tongue - forcing the two to spill their secret to their friends! Please R&R Hope you like it! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

KATNISS POV

"C'mon Katniss, they're gonna be wondering where we are." I hear Peeta call from the front porch. We'd offered to get the food we needed for dinner partly because nearly everyone else was in the lake, and partly because Peeta and I hated being around the others without them knowing. It was like a black cloud hanging over just the two of us and although Gale knowing had lifted a little weight off our shoulders; we still didn't feel right about it.

"It's ok; I told them we'd be back at 6." I say in a calming tone, grabbing the rest of the stuff we needed and hurriedly shoving it all into a bag.

"And it's 6:15" Peeta laughs taking the bag from my hands. I suppress a somewhat guilty smile and laugh a little. We probably would have been back ages ago but we'd gotten a little caught up in the moment, what with being alone for a few minutes and all.

"Come on" Peeta laughs placing his hand on the small of my back and following me down the porch steps.

Our cabins were about five minutes away from where the lake was but we figured the others probably wouldn't even notice our prolonged absence. Besides, it was interesting seeing the Camp grounds at night-time; flooded with groups of people here and there, all soaking up the few short hours of sunlight the afternoon had left in it. I still can't get over the fact that Gale had kept this place a secret for such a long time. The woods around the park were practically calling me to roam though them and that urge was beginning to get harder and harder to suppress. Even after only being here for a week. We had another two weeks left in our own little paradise, so there'd be plenty of time, I figured.

Peeta and I began to make our way back to our friends, standing as close together as possible without triggering any sense of the relationship between us … hopefully. We rounded the corner that saw the cabins begin to disperse into trees and eating areas, bumping face first into someone on my way.

Peetas arm was behind me, catching me before I had the opportunity to fall. I looked up to lock eyes with the tall blonde boy who I'd run into, the blood flooding into my cheeks with embarrassment.

"Sorry." I smiled awkwardly to the guy.

"That's cool, we don't really know where we're going anyways." He smiled, gesturing to the three other people behind him. I looked over to Peeta only to see his eyes light up with recognition as his eyes met the boy's.

"Cato?" Peeta laughed, setting the bag down and extending his hand to the blonde guy who easily towered at least a foot over me.

"Peeta! Dude what are you doing here?" Cato asks taking Peetas hand and pulling him into some sort of hug.

"We're just staying here for a couple of weeks for a bunch of friends from school, what about you guys?" The excitement in his voice was unmistakable.

"We're heading on a bit of a road trip, this is stop two." Another boy announced from next to Cato, holding up two fingers. He had dark hair and was a little taller than Peeta was. A shorter, dark hair girl high-fived the boy from beside him, a big smile on her face.

"Katniss this is Cato and Marvel" Peeta said introducing me to the two guys. "and Clove and Glimmer. We used to go to school together."

Clove was really quite small, her brown-haired tied high on her head. Glimmer, on the other hand, looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine; she was taller and blonde, her piercing green eyes shooting right through me.

"I can't believe we'd run into you here out all places" Glimmer laughed pulling Peeta into a friendly hug. Something about it gave me the wrong impression. Was I really feeling jealous of this girl? Her arms around _my boyfriend_. Not that anyone knew he was. I couldn't even decide if it was jealousy; the feeling was so foreign I didn't know how to react. I mean, she seemed nice enough…

"When did you guys get here?" Peeta asks the shorter, brown-haired girl. Clove, I think he said her name was.

"About 15 minutes ago" She laughs "But we're only staying here for a few days."

"Oh, well you should come by the dock later; I'll introduce to our friends!" Peeta encouraged with a bright smile on his face.

"Yeah, that'd be great, but we should probably unpack our stuff first." Cato laughed nodding his head toward the small pile of bags the group had next to them.

"That's cool, just come down when ever, that's where we'll be." Peeta says with a smile.

"It was nice to meet you all." I smiled, trying to pull myself together after spending the past few minutes trying to figure out how I felt.

"Yeah, you too, Katniss" Close smiled, following her friends toward the cabins.

Peeta looked at me, gently shaking his head and I was slightly worried that maybe he'd picked up my jealousy.

"What?" I ask him a little too defensively

"Huh, can't believe we'd run into them here of all places. Didn't think I'd ever seen 'em again after I left." he sighs still smiling. It was hard to miss how happy seeing his old friends made him.

"So, I take it you were all pretty close?" I asked as he picked up the bag

"Oh yeah." He smiles as if a flood of memories have come back to him "Got up to all sorts of trouble together. But Cato and Marvel were the reason I pretty much never I had a girlfriend."

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously, trying to figure out how Peeta could last without having a girlfriend. I mean, half the girls back at school liked him that way. I could only imagine what it was like at his old school, which was easily two times the size of ours.

"I basically got 'friend-zoned' by all the girls at school trying to get close to those two. Lame, right?" he laughs.

"Even the two girls?" I asked, still finding it hard to believe than someone like Peeta could possibly be friend-zoned.

"Nah, well, Clove and Cato have kind of had this thing forever, and Glim didn't really have any trouble there. Everyone liked her." Peeta says with a slight laugh this time. At least that made a little more sense.

"What about you?" I smirk, raising my eyebrows

"What about me?" Peeta asks, genuinely not following my train of through

"Did you like her?" I ask, trying to sound as casual as possible while avoiding his eye contact.

This time Peeta looks at me, square in the eyes, and shakes his head a little as he tries to suppress a smile. "Glimmer's nice and pretty and all, but she's missing something." He smirks back at me continuing toward the lake.

Missing something? How could Glimmer possible be missing something? Everything about her practically screamed '_drop dead gorgeous'_. Her long blonde hair, her bright greens eyes. She was tall and had a body that most girls would probably kill for. And on top of that, she _seemed_ nice enough. Were Peeta and I talking about the same girl? Was he walking around his old school with his eyes closed? How could she possibly be missing something?

I run up the path back to Peeta where he was now walking through another eating area. He looks at me and smiles when I reach him.

"Wait, what do you mean 'missing something'"? I ask him, intently biting down on my bottom lip and wondering what he thinks about my sudden outburst of _20 questions. _Peeta simply lets out a little laugh, puts the bag on the table behind him and gently puts his hands on my shoulders.

"She's not you, Katniss" he smiles. I take a moment to take in what he says but it must look like I don't understand because he continues talking before I even have a chance to think of a reply.

"I've never felt this way about anyone, ever before, Katniss There could be _a thousand _other Glimmers out there, and there probably are. But I wouldn't care because the only girl I want to be with is standing right in front of me." He says looking right into my eyes.

I look up to him, trying to think of a reply, but nothing seems to be functioning properly at the moment. Beside, I'm nowhere near as good with words as he is. So, I slide my arm around his waist, pull him closer to me, and close the gap between our lips. The kiss feels different to others we've shared, more meaningful and urgent somehow. Peeta's arms make their way around my waist, pulling me that little bit closer to him. I can feel him smiling, which makes it that bit harder to pull away from each other. I look up to meet his eyes as I bite my bottom lip, still smiling. Peeta takes my hand "C'mon" he says, leading us back toward the dock.

We do our best to act casual when we reach the others but under the pressure of seven pairs of eyes all trained on us, we must look suspicious, to Gale at least.

"What took you two so long? Did you go hunt the food down and kill it and cook it yourselves or something?" Johanna asks raising her eyebrows.

I look to Peeta, hoping he was at least a step ahead of me. "Yeah, we were just about to hunt down a pack of wild animals, but we ran into a couple of friends from my old school" he says placing the bag on the table nearest us "But while we were talking the pack got away, so hamburgers it is, sorry Jo."

"Well, we'll cook then" Finnick suggests raising his eyebrows at Gale as if to ask for his help.

I head over to Madge and Delly while Peeta decides to give Gale and Finnick a hand with dinner. The girls each ask me questions about Peetas friends, most of which I can't really answer because I talked to them for all of five minutes, if that.

"It's ok, you'll probably meet them after; Peeta told them where we'd be." I tell them, trying to avoid the hundreds of questions they're asking. I turn my head slightly to find Peetas eyes on me; he smiles and winks at before turning back to the guys. I bite my lip to suppress a laugh and look away, shaking my head slightly.

* * *

After dinner we were all seated around one of the table in the eating area, laughing about various things that had happened over the week, in particular something that had happened a few days ago. Finnick had been standing on the dock in only shorts, preparing to jump in, when he caught Annie's eye and started making ridiculously provocative poses in her general direction, his usual beaming smile planted on his face. Finnick was an overly good-looking guy and he knew it and had absolutely no probably 'flaunting it' as he would call it. That was until an older couple walked past us and gave him the death stare of all death stares, causing him to turn slightly red and jump into the water without a second thought.

"Hey, Peeta" a voice called from somewhere beside us. Both Peeta and I knew who it was, but the rest of the group shared the same look of confusion as Peetas old friends made their way up to our table.

"Hey guys" Peeta says with a smile before turning to us "This is Cato, Marvel, Glimmer and Clove, they're the reason we didn't have a chance to personally kill out own food tonight, Johanna." Peeta says, giving Johanna a smirk that made her laugh. Clove shot me an odd look, obviously having no idea what Peeta was talking about, which I returned with a smile. They each took a seat along the table, telling the group about where they were heading for the next few weeks. The group seems to be genuinely interested, which was nice to see, but left me consumed in my own thoughts about Peetas friends and his old school. Whatever reasons led to his family's decision to move here were what lead to us meeting, so I couldn't complain, but the thought was still there in the back of my mind.

"Well, it's nice to see the Peet moved on from us so easily and made friends" Marvel joked, placing his hand over his heart and feigning disappointment. "Looks like he's even got himself a girlfriend" he says, looking between Peeta and I.

Instantly I feel my face growing red and look up trying to catch Peetas eyes, but instead I find 11 pairs of eyes on me. _Busted._

* * *

**Hey!  
****Here's chapter 11, its earlier than usual, but thought i may as well upload it now, considering my laptop charger literally just exploded ... somewhat. They're busted! What did you think? How did you like the Careers? Would you like them to appear in the next couple of chapters as well? Sorry for all the questions, I just like hearing what you guys have to say. I'm guessing not many people were into the whole Finnick/Annie thing from the previous chapter? That's a shame cause I have a few ideas between them for later in the story. I was also thinking about maybe making a sequel to this, once the gang is back home, having to meet parents and finishing school and whatnot? what do you guys think? please R&R and enjoy! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

KATNISS POV

_"Well, it's nice to see the Peet moved on from us so easily and made friends" Marvel joked, placing his hand over his heart and feigning disappointment. "Looks like he's even got himself a girlfriend" he says, looking between Peeta and I._

_Instantly I feel my face growing red and look up trying to catch Peetas eyes, but instead I find 11 pairs of eyes on me. Busted._

I push my hair away from my face with a sigh, trying to accept the fact that I knew this would happen sooner or later. Truthfully, it's probably better that it's happened sooner rather than later. Peeta has a slight smile on his face but a semi-worried look in his eyes. How were our friends going to react to this? Better still, what were Peetas friends thinking about all of this? Did they know they'd just drop a bombshell of sorts on the group? Surely they must because the awkward tension is filling the air around us at an alarming pace.

"Well, uh, we should probably get going and leave you all to it. Y'know; get some sleep, been driving all day. Might see ya tomorrow." Cato says hurriedly getting up while his friends murmured agreements and made their way back toward the cabins.

"So is it true?" Annie says from beside Finnick, pretty much all eyes were on us, even though we were at opposite ends of the table from one another.

"Of course it's true, look at the two of them squirming!" Johanna laughed, clearly amused by the situation. The table pretty much erupts in questions and statements about the two of us, none of which we answer.

_"Is it true?"_

_ "Why didn't you tell us?"_

_ "Is Marvel his real Name?" _

I look over to Peeta and find him smiling at me but shaking his head in amusement at the others as their questions continue to fly across the table.

"Guys, seriously just shut up." Gale say quite loudly from beside me, thankfully making the group quieten down for a least a few minutes. I look up to Gale and give him a smile with the hope that he understands my silent thank you. He gives me a knowing smile and an encouraging nod; how easily we two can communicate without words.

"Ok, just tells us if it's actually true or not?" Delly asks looking between Peeta and I. I look up to Peeta who raises his eyes brows at me; _'do you want me to answer?'_

I shake my head and quickly rub my eyes with my hands "Yes ok, it's true. Just, like, calm down a little would you."

"Last week when I told you two to go make you own little club, this wasn't _exactly_ what I had in mind." Finnick says with a smirk "But, hey, I can't complain; it just means one less guy to compete with." He flexes his muscles and gives a small wink to Annie who turns red almost immediately. I laugh at little, thankful for Finnick and his perfectly-timed comic relief. My eyes meet Peetas from across the table; he smiles again, a little softer this time.

"So, how did your friends know?" Thom asks raising his eyebrow

I frown a little as I comprehend Thom's question; how _did_ Peetas friends know? We'd only spoken to them for all of five minutes and in that time I only said ten words, if that. Peeta was excited to see his friends – that much was obvious. But really, from what I can remember the two of us didn't act any differently around them compared to how we act around the others. Maybe it was the fact that Peeta and his friends hadn't seen each other in such a long time that they easily noticed the difference in him. Is there a difference in him? Is there a difference in me? The piles of questions floating around my mind really only beg one question to me; how had _our_ friends really not noticed?

"I really don't know we only spoke to them for five minutes" Peeta shrugs

"Well, that makes us feel really great considering they figured it out so quickly while we've been sitting here without a clue for who knows how long." Madge laughs

"Gale, why're you being so casual about all of this?" Delly inquires looking over to Gale

"What? I uh …. It's not that big of a deal really." He says looking to me and unsuccessfully trying to hide the panic in his eyes.

"He obviously knew." Johanna replied from opposite me shooting a smirk in Gale's direction.

"No….I um" Gale mumbles from beside from me as his eyebrows dip in concentration.

"Leave Gale out of it, he wasn't even 'sposed to know." I explain quietly.

"What? Did you catch the two of them making out or something?" Finnick jokes wiggling his eyebrows suggestively between the two of us.

Peeta begins to intently bite down on his bottom lip, turning slightly red and avoiding eye contact with the others. I sigh, putting my elbows on the table with a _thump_ and resting my head in my hands as I fixate my eyes on the table below me.

"Oh my God!" Johanna laughs shaking her head slightly "Who would have thought, hey! Katniss and Peeta"

As the group begin to drone on about everything I find myself blocking them out and getting caught up in my own thoughts. To be honest, I didn't like being singled out like this. I guess it wasn't exactly the same as being singled out considering they were talking about both Peeta and I, but I couldn't help but feel a little distressed about they were reacting. I hadn't exactly imagined how they'd react when we told them; it wasn't really something I wanted to focus too much on. They didn't seem angry, which was a good sign, but I still didn't feel right about it. Maybe it was just the way they'd found out, it wasn't ideal but I guess there wasn't a lot I could do about that now.

"Katniss don't look so sad we're just messing around" Thom insists as he nudges Peeta in the ribs and gives me a sincere smile. I smile at him in return, thankful that they seemed ok with everything.

"Yeah, we're happy for you both!" Finnick chimes in "Personally a little insulted that we didn't figure it out, but happy for you!"

"We're sorry we didn't tell you earlier, we just didn't really know how to." Peeta adds with a shy smile,.

"If you had have given them a couple more days they would have figured it out." Gale laughs, nodding encouragingly to the rest of the group but then turning to Peeta and I and shaking his head with a worried look.

We all sit around the table for another half hour or so until Finnick decides that the rest of us need our beauty sleep considering not everyone has the natural good looks that he prides himself on. We all give him odd looks because sometimes you can't quite decide if Finnick is being serious or not. I collect everything we used for dinner, replace it in the bag and head back to the cabins with the promise to myself that I'd clean it all in the morning. Gale takes off with Madge a bit ahead of us which make me feel weirdly proud and somewhat excited for him because maybe he's considered what I said about the two of them. Peeta comes up beside me and takes the bag from my hands again as he watches Madge and Gale in the distance.

'Didn't think I'd be happy that he knew before the others, but it definitely helped." He sighs shifting the bag between his hands. "You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? God no, remind me to thank Marvel tomorrow. I mean, I didn't really like being singled out like that but I guess that was to be expected, right?" I smile

"Yeah" Peeta agrees "I just really can't believe that they noticed it so easily."

"I guess it saves us from trying to figure out the right way to tell them." I laugh beginning to follow the others toward the cabins.

"Exactly." Peeta looks around us for a moment and then looks down, taking my hand in his. "Plus, it'd be nice to hold your hand and not have to worry about who sees." He smiles.

It proves hard to reach the cabins in the dark of the night without tripping on loose rocks or sticks. But eventually we make it, the others smiling a little when they see us holding hands. It's kind of trivial really, but nice nonetheless. Peeta walks me up to the porch steps of the cabin and sets the bag down behind me.

"Goodnight" He says with a smile before gently kissing me.

"Night" I reply without trying to hide my beaming smile.

I head up the porch with Madge who playfully nudges my sides, giggles and wriggles her eyebrows at me. Stopping by the door I turn around just in time to see Peeta and Finnick reach their cabins.

"Really though, don't do that in public. That's not what I need to see before bed." Finnick jokes.

I hear a slight noise of impact as Peeta elbows Finnick in the ribs with a smile "Shut up Finn." He laughs.

I head inside and fall asleep almost instantly and for the first time since we got here everything seemed to be going really well. No more secrets, nothing to hide from anyone. Now my biggest internal struggle was how to deal with this whole Gale and Madge thing but that, I decide, could at least wait until morning.

* * *

**First of all thankyou guys so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! That was really cool and overwhelming and it makes me some much more excited/motivated to write more chapters after seeing what you guys have to say. Here's chapter 12, it's pretty weak, but i tried to take some of your ideas into consideration. I have a couple of questions; would you wanna see the Careers and the gang get along really well or have some form of tension in the air? I know you weren't huge on the F/A chapter, but do you guys wanna see Finnick and Annie get together? cause if so i have an idea that will show the more caring side of Finnick. But i'm at a complete loss at how to get Gale and Madge together so i'd love to hear your ideas/thoughts so i can hopefully come up with something you'll like.  
Sorry for the stupidly long A/N. Please R&R and enjoy!**


	13. Chapter 13

KATNISS POV

"Thanks." I smile to Madge, accepting the mug of coffee in her hand as she takes a seat next to me on the porch steps. The morning sun is rising across the sky and making not attempt to give us a break from the heat that's plagued the last few days. It didn't really fuss me that it had been so warm out lately; it was a nice change from the winter before.

"So, I guess I should have seen it coming." Madge sighs with a smile before she takes a sip of her coffee. "You and Peeta, I mean. With the way you were blushing on the last day of school, and all."

"We both felt really bad for not telling anyone, though." I tell her as a guilty smile works its way onto my face.

"Don't worry about it!" Madge insists, waving her hand in front of her with disregard. "I'm sure they'll all be over it by now, anyways."

"Well, they'd all be over it ten times faster than Gale was." I laugh, taking a sip of coffee.

"Did he really find out like that?" Madge raises an eyebrow.

I press my lips together into a tight line and feel my face begin to turn red. Madge is looking at me with an expectant smile on her face. I nod slightly and take another sip trying to avoid her eye contact for the moment. But she doesn't scrutinize me or laugh or anything of the sorts, which makes me thankful for having a friend like her.

"It's nice that Gale stood up for you last night though." She says pulling at the ends of her long blonde hair.

"Yeah, he kind of surprised me there a bit." I reply with a smile "But I'm glad Finnick was there too; that boy's self-appreciation and humour could defuse tension without even trying."

Madge laughs as the memories from the night before bounce around my brain. "But try as he might, he could not hide the fact that he's got a thing for Annie" she adds with a slight smirk.

"That's the thing; I don't think he's actually trying to hide it. It's weird; maybe he's trying to win her over with his confidence." I suggest, raising my eyebrows.

"Wish I had someone trying to win me over" Madge mumbles with a sigh as she rests her elbows on her knees and puts her chin in her hands with a small pout. _If only you knew, Madge_ I think.

"I wouldn't rule it out so easily, Madge" I tell her with a shrug as I take a sip of my coffee "I mean, isn't there anyone _you_ like?"

I do my best to act casually in the hopes that she won't pick up on my secret agenda. I've never been one for girl talk, I don't know how to incite it, I don't know end it and I certainly don't know how to reciprocate it. Madge looks to me and give a half-hearted smile before letting her eyes wander over to the boy's cabin.

She takes a sip of her coffee and sighs "Well, yeah, but it doesn't matter. I doubt he likes me back, I'm not even his type anyway."

It's almost uncanny how similar she sounds to Gale and the conversation we had the other day. But what's even stranger is the possibility that the two of them could like each other without the other knowing. It makes me slightly excited to even consider the two of them being a couple. They'd be an interesting couple, that's for sure; Rough-as-guts Gale falling for picture-perfect Madge. But opposites attract, right?

"Are you going to tell me who?" I raise an eyebrow, pressing for more information regarding the mystery guy who appears to have attracted Madge so easily.

"Probably not, no" She laughs "I'm sure you'll figure it out, sooner or later."

"Don't worry, I will." I assure her with a wink, nudging her in the sides. The two of us burst out in small fits of laughter, that're caught somewhere between laughter and trying to keep quit enough to avoid waking the others who're still fast asleep inside.

"Morning Girls!" a cheery voice calls, pulling us out of laughter. We look up to find Glimmer standing there with a smile. She looks like she's just come back from a jog or some form of exercise; she's wearing a bright pink sports bra and black and pink, skin-tight leggings to match. Her blonde hair is still perfectly tied up, her makeup intact. Personally I find it weird and a little off-putting that she's managed to stay looking so nice if she's been exercising. Madge, who must be thinking the same thing, looks to me and suppress a small smile.

"Morning" I reply to her, trying to sound enthusiastic. I wasn't normally one to judge someone on appearances or first impressing, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way and ignited a queasy feeling.

"Sorry about last night! Seems like Marvel dropped a bit of a bombshell on you guys! We thought you knew." She laughs, pushing her hair off her shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's no big deal." I tell her with a smile.

"You made the rest of us feel pretty stupid though. How did you guys notice it so easily?" Madge inquires, raising an eyebrow in Glimmers direction.

She laughs putting her hand over her chest. "Oh if there's one thing I learnt about Peeta after all those years, it was how to tell when he liked someone."

"How so?" I ask casually, taking a sip of my coffee.

"His body language and his smile, y'know things like that." She says nonchalantly "It's funny, actually; you're not really like the type of girls he goes for usually."

"Oh" is all I manage to get out as I do my best to avoid her eye contact, but at the same time, trying to act as naturally as possible. I look around at the park, my interest in the dirt below me growing by the second. In all honesty, what she'd said had shaken me a little. But it isn't until I look up to find Gale and Peeta sitting on the railing of their cabin, both looking tired, that I regain the bit of courage I had around this girl.

"But I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you; that boy's so indecisive I wouldn't be surprised if he came to his senses and was over you tomorrow." She shrugs.

Came to his sense? About what? About me? Any courage I had a moment ago has slipped from my fingers as I try to blink back tears. Peeta was clearly the best thing that had happened to me in some time and the possibility of that being over scared me. It was possible that Glimmer was just trying to mess with my head. I mean, isn't that exactly what girls like her did to girls like me? Nonetheless, it was working.

"Ok, well I should uh, probably get going." I sniff, blinking back tears and handing Madge my cup "Gotta to meet Gale."

"But, isn't that him over there?" Glimmer asks, pointing her thumb in the direction of the boy's cabin.

"Uh, yeah it is." I say hurriedly getting up and heading past her, turning the corner and making my way to the lake.

_"_I _wouldn't be surprised if he came to his senses and was over you tomorrow"_ Her words were bouncing around my head and pushing me to the brink of temporary insanity. Surely she was just messing with me to make me worried. But I couldn't put my figure on why exactly she'd do something like that. Peeta and she had been friends for a long time, if I were in her place; I'd want Peeta to be happy no matter what the cost or cause.

After what feels like hours I reach the dock and sit down. Thankfully it's pretty deserted this time of morning, so I lean against the railing, hugging one leg to my chest and letting the other fall loosely into the water. I pull my hair over my shoulders, realizing I haven't even had the chance to braid it back yet.

Last night had allowed me to build up enough courage to accept how I felt about Peeta, and how nice it felt to think that he felt the same way about me. I'd never been one to let people in, to tell them how I felt; ever since Dad died I'd done all I could to build a wall between myself and everyone. Within the past few weeks I'd managed to move past that and accept the fact that maybe other people really did care. Yet, with a few short sentences Glimmer managed to completely reverse any progress I'd made.

A good fifteen minutes pass while I sit there and do my best to abolish her words from my thoughts, but it isn't until he finds me that I'm pulled back to reality. Peeta sits down beside me and leans against the railing while resting his elbows on his knees. His tangle of blonde hair is going in all directions, making it pretty clear that he's only been awake for a short time.

"I've been looking for you everywhere." He says quietly "I guess I probably should have come here first though."

I look out over the lake without replying to him. I guess I should be happy that he's here, but I'm at a complete loss about what to say.

"What did she say to you, Katniss?" He asks turning to face me now.

"What did who say?" I reply quietly, still avoiding his eye contact.

"Glimmer. I saw her talking to you and Madge. She obviously said something to upset you." Peeta sighs

I still don't reply, partly because I don't exactly know what to say and partly because I don't want to be the one who does something to ruin his friendship with his old friends. I look over to meet his gaze which only causes a few stray tears to roll down my face again. I shrug, blinking back the tears.

"Katniss" Peeta sighs gently tucking my hair behind my ears and taking my hands in his.

"It doesn't matter, it's stupid, ok?" I tell him while I do my best to act ok with everything. My attempt is weak at best considering how easily he can see through my façade. Peeta looks to me with a sad look on his face which only makes me feel worse because I've upset him now, too. I take in a deep, shaky breath and push my hair out of my face again.

_"I wouldn't be surprised if he came to his senses and was over you tomorrow"_ I say quietly, biting my bottom lip and avoiding his eye contact.

His jaw literally drops a little and he takes in what I've said. "She said that?"

I nod, not exactly sure if I could find the right words to define how I felt. Peeta shakes his head, runs a hand through his unruly hair and lets out a deep sigh. "You do know that's not true, right? I would never do that to you. She's trying to mess with your head."

"Well it worked." I mumble quietly.

"You do know I would never do anything like that though, don't you?" Peeta asks his voice a little shaky.

I take a moment to consider what he's said but in all honesty how could I possibly know that he wouldn't become bored with me sooner or later? It wouldn't surprise me really; I don't know how to be someone's girlfriends anymore that Prim would know how to hunt. I look up to meet his eyes and give him a slight shrug. A pained look appears on Peeta face as he looks down at the wooden dock below us. In the morning sun I can see his long blonde eyelashes moving back and forth as he blinks, his eyebrows dipped in concentration.

"I mean everything I told you last night. Y'know for me, even telling you how I felt was a long shot, Katniss. I would never have even dreamt that you felt the same way, but nothing Glimmer, or anybody else, could say is gonna change that." Peeta says quietly, his eyes looking into mine with a sad expression.

"You really mean that?" I ask biting down on my bottom lip again.

He nods as a slight smile appears across his face. His smile helps me bring to my senses; I should let Glimmers words define my feelings toward Peeta. I shouldn't let anyone dictate what would happen to us in the future because, as of now, even we don't know what will happen. Opening myself up to people was never something I was good at, but I owed it to myself to at least try. I return Peetas smiles as he offers me a hand up. He pulls me into a near-crushing hug which I don't hesitate to return. I stand on tip-toes and wrap a hand around his neck, smiling to myself as I notice the light blonde layer of stubble stretching across his jaw line and neck.

"I like your hair down." Peeta smiles, running a hand through my hair and gently planting a kiss on lips.

"So I hear." I laugh, lightly pulling him back toward the cabins. He puts an arm around my shoulders and gently kisses the top of my head as we slowly make our way back, the morning sun still bearing down on us.

* * *

**Ouch! Sorry, I couldn't resist making at least _one_ of the Careers slightly horrible. It's ok though, the others will apologize in the next chapter! A couple of people said they wanna see Finnick/Annie which is good cause i've got an idea about how to do that. Still at a bit of a loss about how to make Madge/Gale happen but, don't worry, it will! I'm open to any ideas about those two, too, so please let me know! The chapters pretty weak, but hopefully you like it! Please Review! Enjoy! **


	14. Chapter 14

GALE POV

The night air was a lot colder than usual tonight so we'd all decided to have a small bonfire which would hopefully give us a short break from the chilly air. It was Peeta's friends last night here so he'd asked if he could invite them to come along, which took some convincing after what Glimmer had said to Katniss a day before. But nonetheless we agreed to meet them at seven which gave us enough time to stock up on bag upon bag of marshmallows. Thom and I had driven to the local supermarket purely to get supplies for this one evening. Finnick was comically excited about it when we told him. A huge grin had spread across his face as he practically jumped around the entire park, mumbling something about Annie and cold weather.

We decided to head down a little bit earlier so we could find a good spot and at least get the fire started, so we headed down at 6:30, the girls not too far behind us. I left Finnick and Thom in charge of the fire so I could talk to Katniss, just to make sure she was ok with Peetas friends coming after her run in with Glimmer. She and Madge were sitting at a table a few metres away, their backs facing us. I head over to them only to catch them mid conversation.

"C'mon, just tell me who he is?"Katniss whined to Madge, giving her a pleading look that reminded me of the she so often uses on me when she wanted something. I should probably wait until they've finished talking about whoever it is they're talking about because it's probably not intended for my ears, but curiosity get the better of me.

"All I'm saying is that I'm sure you'll have it figured out by the time we leave." Madge says with a confirming nod.

"So, does that mean he's here?" Katniss raises an eyebrow as a smirk works its way onto her face.

Madge looks up to Katniss but doesn't say anything so I figure I may as well make my presence known because quite frankly I don't want to know who Madge likes because I'd probably end up losing any confidence I have around her.

"Hey" I say, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"Hi" Katniss laughs as Madge smiles at me.

"I just wanted to make sure it was still ok with you that the others were coming tonight?" I raise an eyebrow

"Oh, yeah it's alright I guess. Won't have to see her after this anyway." She shrugs

"You sure? Because I'm totally open to throwing her in the lake or something?" I suggest with a smirk.

"You can count me in with that." Madge laughs with a devious grin.

"Guys really, I'm sure it'll be fine." Katniss insists "But if it comes down to it, we can all throw her in together."

Once 7 o'clock comes we head back over to meet the others around the small fire Thom and Finnick managed to conjure up. It's a pretty weak fire, to be honest, but hopefully it'll pick up as the night continues. After considering what Katniss and I had spoken about the other night I figure she's right; I don't have anything to lose by talking to Madge, so I take a seat between her and Finnick. Most of the night goes off without a hitch; that is until I hear Madge let out a sigh from beside me.

"What's the matter?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and turning to face her.

"I've managed to burn nearly every single one of these" Madge laughs holding up a blackened marshmallow.

"That's kind of the point, Madge" I laugh, pulling the marshmallow off the stick and popping it in my mouth.

"Maybe, but yours actually look _nice._" She insists, pointing to the one I was holding over the fire. "Mine just look like charcoal."

"That'd be because I'm thoroughly trained in the art of Marshmallow roasting." I tell her with a smirk.

Madge lets out a small laugh and rises an eyebrow "Yeah, I bet."

"Well, here I'll show you how. Have you got any left?"

"Nah, I'm all out. But I've got a feeling Finnick switched our bags over. You?" She laughs, holding up her empty marshmallow packet. I look down to my own packet and find I'm in the same situation, considering there's only one left. I take the last one out and sigh, showing her the empty bag.

"That's cool, we can just go get some more." I suggest

"There's more?" Madge says in shock as her jaw literally drops a little.

"We've got a solid supply of marshmallows for _at least _the next six years; you can thank Thom for that." I say, offering her a hand up. There wasn't much point in denying it, where her hand met mine cause jolts of electricity to fly through my body.

"What are we waiting for then?" Madge brushes the dirt off her legs and crosses her arms tightly across her chest, letting out a small shiver.

"Where're you two going?" Katniss raises an eyebrow at the two of us with a curious smile on her face.

"Re-stocking the marshmallows." I say, tossing the one in my hand at her "Want any?"

Katniss catches it mid-air and goes to ditch it back, changing her mind at the last-minute. "No, thank you" She says, popping it in her mouth with a grin. I see Katniss suppress a knowing smile as she raises her eyebrows in our direction. I shake my head at her with a laugh and head off with Madge.

The darkness of the night proves difficult to navigate back to the cabin, considering it conceals the loose rocks and twigs so easily. I don't find it too bad considering Katniss and I used to stay in the woods until the cold night air would force us out, but Madge is a whole other story; manoeuvring her way through the park slowly - I can't help but smile at her attempt. We only manage to get half way there before she lets out a small squeak as she trips on an overturned rock. I catch her under the arm before she has the chance to fall entirely.

"You alright?" I ask as she wraps her arm around my waist to steady herself, the other hand falling loosely against my chest.

"Yeah." She breathes, her eyes looking up to meet mine as she lets out a small laugh.

Slowly, but surely her head moves a little closer to mine without breaking eye contact. Before either of us have the chance to do or say anything, our lips meet. The kiss sends a new kind of electricity through me; a feeling of urgency like we know we're breaking the rules. Madge winds her hand gently around the back of my neck and pulls me a little closer. I can't help but smile as we pull away. She looks up to me with a slight smile on her face, almost as if she's unsure of what just happened.

"We should uh … We should get back to the others." She says quietly letting her arms fall limply from my neck and turning on her heel.

"O...Okay." I whisper as I watch her walk off into the darkness. I sigh, running my hands through my hair and trying not to over-think what just happened. Did that actually just happen? I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to sort through my feelings toward Madge, but the only thing I can think of if the feeling of her lips against mine. But I know trying to talk to Madge tonight will be useless, so I glumly head back to the campfire with the promise to talk to her tomorrow.

* * *

**Short, lame, but hopefully sweet introduction to Gadge! Hopefully you liked it! It aways feels really weird writing in a POV other than K/P for the first time. I'm really looking forward to writing a sequal to this because I've got a few ideas for it. It's taking alot of restraint not to just upload like, a sneak preview or something! For some reason i also really wanna write a Fic full of letters that Peeta writes to Katniss during CF/MJ - yes/no/later? ****I'll probably continue with Gadge in the next chapter and then start with Finnick/Annie. Also, i start school again next week, so sorry if I take longer to update. Please let me know what you think! R&R! & i'll stop talking now. **


	15. Chapter 15

GALE POV

Nothing was going to plan since the night of the bonfire. All I could think about for the past day was Madge; absolutely everything about her. The only thing I wanted to do now was talk to her and try to figure out what that night meant. Did it even mean anything to her? In all honesty, the thought that maybe Madge had feelings for me was somewhat scary. But nowhere near as bad as though that maybe she didn't like me back at all. That maybe she just got caught up in the moment.

I figured the only way to sort this out was to talk to her, but I didn't have the slightest clue as to where she'd be. Usually she was with Katniss, so it only made sense to find her with the desperate hope that they'd be together. I grudgingly made me way out of our cabin and began the ridiculously short walk to the girls. I couldn't help but think about how the conversation with Madge would go which only made me even more nervous to talk to her. I knock on the front door of their cabin and hold my breath in anticipation, only to find Katniss open the door with a smile.

"Hey." She says, pushing her hair away from her eyes.

"Hey, is Madge here?" I manage to get out with a sigh.

"Nah, she's not. She went for a walk; said something about clearing her head." Katniss says with a dip in here eyebrows as if trying to remember what she'd told her. I run my hands through my hair with a sigh and squeeze my eyes shut before looking back up to Katniss with a slight frown who looks a little concerned after seeing my reaction.

"Why? What's the matter?" She raises an eyebrow. I turn my head a little to find both Delly and Annie sitting only a few meters inside and bite down on my lip. Was it a good idea to tell Katniss before even talking to Madge about it? After all, she was the one who'd suggested I talk to her more; maybe she would be able to help me sort out the mess I managed to find myself in. Katniss shoots me an off look before gently closing the cabin door behind her and stepping further out on the patio. She raises and eyebrow and pulls herself up, taking a seat on the railing.

I take in a deep breath and look to Katniss. "We kissed."

"You what?"

"We kissed. The other night; it was an accident, I guess. But I don't know if it meant anything or not." I frown

"Did it mean anything to you?" Katniss asks quietly

"Of course it did!" I manage to get out "I just don't know what it meant to her."

"You need to talk to her." Katniss says, stating the obvious.

"Gee, Thanks." I smile sarcastically "I just …. I don't know what to say. I don't even know if she wants to talk to me."

"Well you won't know until you try, Gale, just tell her how you feel." She insists with a slight smile.

"Do you know where she is?" I ask quietly, trying to avoid thinking about the possible scenarios that could play out in a matter of minutes.

"The hut next to the lake, I think." Katniss replies

"Thanks, Catnip." I hurry down the porch stairs

Katniss smiles in return "Good luck." She says before lightly jumping down off the railing.

I do my best to make my way to the small hut near the lake as fast as possible. I didn't want to run the risk of missing her. As I break into a jog it only takes about five minutes to reach her. She's sitting on the table that stands in the middle of the hut, her arms wrapped around her knees. She's looking out over the lake and the sun moves further and further along the sky. The day was surprisingly cool compared to the past few. I stop a few meters short of the hut and take in a deep breath. After not seeing her since that night it's almost as though I've forgotten how to function properly. The effect she normally has on me was increased by a thousand as I take a short step inside. Madge turns her head slightly and lets a small smile creep onto her face as she sees me. She looks as if she about to stand up and leave; I might have let her go the other night but I sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen now.

"Please don't go." I offer quietly.

She nods as she pulls her hair over her shoulder and turns to face me completely. I walk over and lean against the railing across from her.

"It might sound stupid but I can't stop thinking about you and what happened the other night. That kiss; It meant something to me Madge. I just … I need to know if you feel the same way?" I say without taking my eyes away from hers.

She pulls the sleeves of her jumper over her hands "Meant something to me? Of course it meant something to me Gale…"

"But?"

"But I can't know for sure how you feel and that really scares me." She says quietly, blinking back tears.

I gently sit down next to her and take one of her hands in my own. She looks up as her eyes meet my own causing a pang of distress to run through me from seeing her upset like this.

"I like you, Madge; more than I could possibly know how to put into words." I tell her as a small smile creeps onto her face.

"In the past, people told me similar things only to say things you wouldn't say to someone you love." She says sadly.

"If you give me a chance I promise I'll never hurt you, Madge." I tell her without taking my eyes away from hers.

"You mean that?" she asks, looking down at our hands. I gently tuck a finger under her chin and tilt her head toward mine. As our eyes meet again I lean my head toward hers and lightly kiss her for a moment. She smiles as we pull away.

"Of course I do." I smile in return.

* * *

**Really weak & short follow-up chapter between Gale & Madge, but I hope you liked it anyway! I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update, but things were kinda crazy with the first couple weeks back at school. Who did you want to see next? Katniss & Peeta, Finnick & Annie, Gale & Madge? How did you wanna see G/M introduced as a couple to the others? Please let me know! and Please R&R! **


	16. Chapter 16

KATNISS POV

I laugh as I gently pull Peeta along the dirt path that leads to the river. We only make it a few steps before he playfully pulls me back into his arms and runs a hand through my hair. His lips curve up into a mischievous grin as he gently kisses me. I smile as we pull away "Come on, no time for that." I tease, planting a quick kiss on his jaw. "We've gotta go and I need to find Gale."

He sighs as a small pout appears on his face "Fine, what's all this about Gale? You've been dying to find him all day." he asks as we continue along the path. I bite down on my lip, unsure about telling Peeta about Gale and Madge. If last night didn't go well I'm positive Gale wouldn't want anybody knowing, so I decide to divulge as little information as possible until I can talk to him.

"Oh, I think something kinda important happened yesterday." I shrug casually.

"_'Something important?' _that's all I get?" he laughs raising an eyebrow.

"That's all I know for now, I'll give you more information when I get it." I raise my hands in mock defence. Peeta smiles and rolls his eyes at my reaction as he takes my hand and we continue to walk toward the lake; the setting sun forming a backdrop for our evening.

Once we reach the lake I manage to spot Gale standing by the barbeque with Thom, the others all sitting a few metres away under the gazebo. Peeta and I make our way over to them and I stand next to Gale, looking up and giving him an expectant smile.

"So how'd it go?" I raise an eyebrow, nudging him in the ribs.

He nudges me back and laughs a little "How'd what go?"

I give him a sarcastic look and cast my eyes between him and Madge. "Gale, c'mon?"

"Oh, yeah, pretty good I guess." he says coolly. He couldn't be making this harder if he tried, but something tells me that the way he's acting means things didn't go too badly. Otherwise he'd have dropped the subject as soon as possible.

"So are you two? What? Together?" I ask

He bites his lip and looks over to Madge who smiles as their eyes meet. "Yeah. I mean, I think so."

"Really!?" I ask, trying to hide my excitement for the two of them. "Are you gonna tell the others?"

"I'm not really sure" he shrugs

"Tell us what?" Finnick asks loudly with a smirk drawing attention from the rest of the group. Gale looks down to me with a panicked look in his eyes.

I slowly cast my eyes around the group. "Tell you that ….um. Gale?" I look up to him with a sympathetic smile.

He glares at me before he looks over to Madge and raises an eyebrow. Madge shrugs with a smile.

"Well uhh" Gale begins slowly

"Gale and I are going out." Madge interjects casually, a small smile playing on her lips. I can't help but imagine how Madge would be cringing internally at her use of the term 'going out'. Too many times she'd told me how much she didn't like saying that; she said it sounded too 'child-like'.

"Ughhh, really!?" we all turn to find Johanna, her forehead pressed against the table top "First them and now you two! Seriously what is in the water here?" she mumbles, pointing between Peeta and I and Gale and Madge without lifting her head off the table.

"Whatever it is, I'll take a bottle." Delly laughs as she rolls her eyes at Johanna.

Thom smiles and nods in agreement with Delly "I'll take a bucket."

Madge makes her way over to Peeta, Finnick, Gale and I, a small blush rising on her cheeks as she and Gale make eye contact.

"I hope that's what you two were actually talking about before _someone_ put his big nose in it?" she asks biting her lip before turning to give Finnick playful glare.

"Yeah, it was." Gale smiles sweetly.

"So, that was why you were so desperate to get down here?" Peeta raises an eyebrow at me.

"Sure was" I smile.

By the time we finish dinner the sun's only just started to set, sending orange streaks across the sky. It's by far the hottest night we've had for the past week and a half, so we all agree to make the most of it by sitting around the dock, some of the others even heading into the lake to soak up the last of the sun for the night.

"It's so beautiful here." I sigh, resting my head against Peetas shoulder and taking in the picture-perfect view all around us.

"It certainly is." He says the smile on his face evident through his voice "I couldn't think of any one I'd rather be here with."

I look up to meet his eyes with a smile "Really?"

He nods, leaning in closer and gently kissing me. Slowly my hand finds its way to his before our fingers lace together. Peeta looks down to our hands and smiles a little more as we pull apart.

"I'm serious though, moving away from home seemed like the worst thing imaginable at the time. I guess I was open to it, but I never really loved the idea. But in retrospect, it was probably the best thing that could have happened." He says thoughtfully looking over the lake before meeting my eyes once again.

"Do you ever miss it?"

"Only sometimes. I can't help but wonder what everyone's doing, that kind of thing, Y'know? But it would have been a lot worse if it weren't for you and the others. I guess I should be thankful Delly and I were neighbours all those years ago." He smiles, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Yeah, we should definitely be thankful for that." I say with a small laugh.

The next hour passes with Peeta and I making conversation about the smallest of things. Favourite seasons and months and memories. The sun was slowly, but surely beginning to disappear below the horizon, harvesting the majority of the light we had. That didn't stop us though; Johanna, Delly, Finnick, Peeta and I were all sitting on the dock yelling and laughing with the others out in the lake. The night was going perfectly, no one had really made a fuss about Gale and Madge which was perfectly fine with them and obviously lifted a weight of Gale's shoulders. It wasn't until the sun had just disappeared that we heard Delly yell out Annie's name in panic as she slipped from the dock. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Finnick jumps in, fully clothed, after her.

* * *

**I'M SO SORRY! So sorry this took so long! School and work and everything got crazy and then Soundwave came along and life got in the way! From now on i'll _try_ post every 2 or so weeks, give or take. so please stick with me! People wanted K/P and other people wanted A/F so i tried a bit of both, this chapter's basically an intro to Annie and Finnick so hang in there! Sorry this chapters not very long, but i was dying to get something up!  
Please, please review, it means alot! Ideas, constructive criticism, anything! **


	17. Chapter 17

FINNICK POV

"Calm down? Would you be ok if that were Katniss in there?" I raise my eyebrows to Peeta and swipe his hand off my shoulder a little too roughly. Surely he can't think that I could possibly be calm right now, we know no information, and no one will speak to us. I go back to pacing the corridor in front of Annie's room as Peeta runs both hands through his hair and sits back down opposite me.

"I wouldn't be and you know that, but Annie is gonna be ok Finn." He insists calmly.

"Then why're they taking so long?"

"They're probably just checking everything, it's all routine Finnick. They'll let you know what's going on as soon as they know." He says

"Are you sure?" I raise an eyebrow unsuccessfully trying to cover the panic that's all over my face.

Peeta nods with a reassuring smile and insists I sit down until we know anything more. I sigh, take a seat next to him and put my head in my hands. No matter what I do I can't get rid of the image of Annie falling, her limp body when I pull her back up. I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut only to find myself in the dark water of the lake.

There wasn't much any of us could do really, it all seemed to happen so fast. Johanna and I had been laughing at Thom until Delly practically screamed Annie's name. I'd only turned around in time to see her slipping from the dock, so I immediately jumped in after her without a second thought. The sun had disappeared for the night, making the murky lake darker than usual; so it took longer than it should have to find her. I'd managed to drag her to the surface of the lake and get her back onto the dock with the help of the others. It was a lot worse out of the water though; she'd hit her head on the rocks beneath the dock, causing a trail of blood to run from her temple. She coughed up a lot of water after a few minutes until she blacked out again. We all panicked more then, Delly called an ambulance but considering none of us were family they refused to let me go with her, so I had to convince Gale to borrow his car. He wasn't too sure, said that I 'shouldn't be driving like this' so Peeta drove and we've been here for an hour and they've told us nothing. I guess in a way I know she's ok, but things could have been so much worse and I don't even want to consider the alternate options.

I feel a nudge in my sides and look up to find Peeta motioning his head toward Annie's room. A middle-aged nurse with blonde hair gently closes the door behind her and looks over to us with a smile. Immediately I get up and head over to her, wringing my hands together and biting my lip.

"Is she ok?" I ask her without any further introductions.

"Are you friends or family?" she asks, tucking her clipboard under her arm.

"Friends."

"Is her family here?"

"No, they're not, but I've spoken to them. We're just on vacation with friends. Is she alright?" I tell the nurse in a hurry, beginning to worry that they might not tell me anything.

"Ok, were you the one who pulled her out of the lake?" she asks, looking back down at her clipboard full of notes.

I nod.

"Well, Annie was very lucky you were there. She's got quite a bad concussion so we're going to keep her in overnight, just for observation. And she's got swelling and a lot of bruising around the ankle." The nurse puts a hand on my shoulder with a smile "But she's gonna be just fine"

I let out a sigh of relief "Can I see her?"

"She's sleeping, but you can go in. Someone will come in shortly to check on her." The nurse gives me a friendly smile as she turns to leave.

I turn back to Peeta without trying to hide the smile on my face. He raises an eyebrow "Is Annie alright?"

"Yeah, really bad concussion; they're gonna keep her overnight though, so I'm gonna stay with her."

"That's good news then." Peeta smiles "Do you want me to stay?"

"Uh, no that's ok. I'll just call you or Gale or something in the morning?" I ask, raising an eyebrow

"Yeah that'd be fine. I'll talk to Katniss or something; bring some clothes for Annie in the morning." Peeta suggests with a smile

"Oh yeah, I didn't even think of that, thank you. For everything."

"Don't mention it." Peeta says "I'll give you a ring in the morning."

And with that he turns down the corridor and out of sight. I take in a deep breath and gently open the door to Annie's room; not exactly sure what to expect. But then again, she was asleep, so why did I still have that nervous feeling in the bottom of my stomach?

She looks so peaceful and small in her sleep and whether she's in pain of not she most definitely doesn't look it. I quietly walk around the bed and take a seat in the chair beside it, taking her hand in both of mine. I gently tuck a strand of her tangled, dark hair behind her ear with the quite, selfish hope that'd she wake up soon. The only thing that was holding onto my sanity was the constant beeping noise from the monitors that told me she was ok.

Almost an entire hour passes before she begins to stir, her eyes lightly fluttering open; her green eyes searching the room for some form of recognition.

"F-Finn?" she asks, her eyes landing on mine causing a chill to shoot through my body.

"It's ok; I'm right here." I give her hand a small squeeze "How're you feeling?"

"Sore." She gives me a small smile

"You gave us a hell of a fright, Ann. We thought you were ok until you blacked out again." I say, closing my eyes in an attempt to block out the images from what feels like days ago.

"I don't really remember what happened." She admits with a sigh.

"You fell from the dock and hit you head, it was bleeding a lot. The nurse said you've got a really bad concussion and a bruised ankle." I tell her, looking down at her small hand between mine.

She tentatively raises a hand to her head and winces as they make contact. Before she can say anything else the nurse enters the room with a smile.

"Miss Cresta, how're you feeling? Any pain anywhere?" she asks raising an eyebrow

"I'm ok. Just hazy …. And sore." She mumbles quietly

"Ok well, we've given you some medication for you head, you've experience quite a concussion there, so we're going to keep you in overnight, just to keep tabs on everything." The nurse smiles

Annies nods to the nurse and then shoots me a slightly panicked look at the thought of being here all night. I give her a reassuring nod and smile.

"You were very lucky Finnick was there when you fell." The nurse says looking between the two of us.

"What? Why?" Annie looks to me.

"He hasn't told you? He pulled you out of the water. You were _very_ lucky." She says

"No, he must have left that part out." Annie raises an eyebrow at me but smiles.

"Someone will come back to check on you later, in the mean time, just push this button if you need anything." The nurse tells Annie, showing her the small remote next to her bed.

"Ok, thank you."

Annie turns her head to face me and has a shy look in her eyes, almost the way she would look at the nurse, or other people she's never met. I couldn't deny that was one aspect about her that drew me in in the first place.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asks quietly, looking right into my eyes.

"I didn't think it was that important." I tell her, shifting around in my chair.

"Not important? Finn, you saved my life."

"You're far too important to lose, Ann."

Her eyes meet mine again as a confused look appears on her face; maybe it's the concussion, or maybe she just can't grasp the fact that I don't plan on leaving her side any time soon. Either way, she looks like she wants some form of an explanation, but I don't know how to tell her how I feel about her; now doesn't seem like the right time. Not here.

"You… you mean a lot to me Annie, I can't lose you." Her gaze becomes a little softer as she nods her head slightly. "You should get some sleep."

"I don't know …" she frowns a little.

"I'll be right here all night." I smile

"Ok." She sighs hesitantly

I gently kiss her forehead as she closes her eyes and begins to drift away into a much-needed sleep. In no time at all she looks peaceful again and it isn't until I'm 100% sure that she's asleep that I send a silent thank you to whatever greater power ensure her safety today. I'd never really believed in anything like that but whether it was fate, or God or just pure luck, I knew I would never be able to repay them.

I gently push her hair away from her cheeks, my fingers running across her soft cheeks. Watching her chest fall up and down with each breath brings a certain serenity to me; it reinforces the fact that she's here and she's ok and nothing's going to hurt her now. If I had any way of sorting through my feelings within the next few hours, it would be safe to say that the next day would be interesting.

I look over to Annie with a shy smile "I love you." I whisper quietly into the silent room. I can't tell if it's some strange fragment of my imagination but I think I feel Annie squeeze my hand which only causes me to suck in a deep breath; did she hear me? A small part of me hoped that she really did, it'd sure make explaining my feelings a lot easier.

* * *

**what's up? I couldn't resist doing this so soon because i've had this chapter floating around in my brain for so long now. Please tell me what you think, i'm (sort of) nearly at 100 reviews and that really means alot to hear what you think. So, let me know what you thought of this and about F/A. Also, i've been thinking about this sequel and i've got tonnes of ideas i can't wait for you to read, but i'm stuck on a title? Anyone got any ideas, please let me know, it'd be great if you did! Ok, please R&R!**


	18. Chapter 18

FINNICK POV

"You know, you didn't have to stay here all night?" Annie says with concern, despite the small smile creeping onto her face as she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

"Too bad." I smirk

She turns to Peeta "You should've talked some sense into him last night." She laughs

"Easier said than done, Annie." Peeta smiles, shaking his head "Besides, he was adamant that he wasn't gonna leave you here alone all night."

"I'm fine." I yawn, beginning to rub my own eyes. "I've already been here all night, so there's not much you can do about it now."

Annie sighs "Why don't you go get a coffee or something?"

"Ok." I tell her, pulling myself up from the chair I'd spent the night in and look over to Peeta "You wanna come?"

"Yeah, Katniss said to give these to you." He says handing a bag to Annie

"Oh, thanks. Now, make sure he gets some food or something." Annie laughs

"You got it." Peeta nods, pushing me out the door.

I shake my head at the two of them before quickly sticking my head back into Annie's room who looks up to me with a smile

"Don't miss me too much while I'm gone, Cresta." I wink

"Get out of here, Odair." She laughs as a slight blush creeps onto her cheeks.

As I absently follow Peeta through the hospital and into the cafeteria I can't help but let my mind wonder back to last night. The thought that maybe Annie heard me tell her how I felt sends my stomach into a mass of knots that seem impossible to untangle. I'd decided to cling to the hope that she didn't hear me because it didn't really seem fair to drop something like that on her after what had already happened that day. In my mind, I'd imagine telling her in some sort of even slightly romantic way, not like last night; yesterday made me realise how much she meant. I guess it just sort of slipped out.

"Finn?" Peeta's voice breaks into my thoughts

"Huh?" I run my hands through my hair

"What do you want?" he raises an eyebrow

"Just coffee, I'll eat when we get back." I tell him, handing him a Styrofoam cup

"You sure?"

"Yep."

We head back to Annie's room to find her talking to a nurse and filling in the last of her paperwork. Katniss had obviously given Peeta some of her clothes, because she's sitting on her bed in shorts and a jumper, her bruised ankle standing out now. The nurse takes the paperwork from her hand with a smile and heads out of the room, giving me a friendly nod as I take a seat next to Annie.

"Is everything ok?" I ask

"Yeah, I'm finally free to go." She smiles pushing her hair away from her face.

"You did a right old job with that ankle." Peeta nods his head in the direction of her ankle with a sigh.

A small frown appears on Annie's face as she pulls her ankle onto the bed next to her; the mixture of purple and blue standing out against her pale skin.

"It's not fractured or anything is it?" Peeta inquires, raising an eyebrow

"Nope, just badly bruised." Annie's sighs

"C'mon, we should get going, I'm sure you don't wanna be stuck in here longer than you have to." I gently nudge Annie in the side with a smile.

She nods, accepting my hand up off the bed and we follow Peeta out toward the hospital car park. Annie holds my hand while she struggles to walk through the hospital, but we make it to the car as she gets in with a sigh. She doesn't say much on the way back to the park, but we don't try push her for too much of a conversation; she's probably tired and in pain. By the time we reach the park she's almost asleep, even though she spends a good few minutes denying the fact.

Annie does her best to put on a brave face and she limps from the car; I can't help but let out a small laugh.

"Annie." I smile

"I'm fine, Finn." She tells me quickly

I laugh a little more at her determination to walk on her own despite her ankle that must be making it a hundred times worse. "Annie, just stop for a sec."

She stops and turns on one foot to look up to me, ignoring a laugh from Peeta as he heads back to the cabin to find the others.

"What?" Annie's asks, pushing her tangle of black hair from her eyes.

"This is actually painful to watch, Ann." I bite back a smile. "Just let me help you."

She sighs in defeat as I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her a little closer to me. I take the bag from her before she lifts her arm up and holds her hand against my shoulder. As we walk, she leans what little weight she bares against me, obviously making it easier to walk.

"Better?" I raise an eyebrow

She nods "Yeah, thanks."

I smile in return as we slowly take another few steps, not particularly heading anywhere specific. Annie looks up to me again, biting down on her lip.

"No, really Finn; Thank you for everything you've done. You went after me without a second thought, and you stayed with me all night. There's not many people who'd do that for me, it really means a lot to know that you did that." She says without breaking eye contact

"I'd do anything for you Annie." I tell her with an unintentional intensity rising in my voice.

Another small blush rises on her cheeks as she tries to stand on her toes before she squeezes her eyes shut in pain. I smile and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and bend down a little. She opens her eyes a smiles a little as our lips finally meet. What feels like an electric pulse runs through my body as she run a hand through my hair. Annie lets out a small squeal as she quickly grabs onto my shirt to stop herself from falling. I wrap my hand around her waist again to catch before she falls. She lets out a small giggle and bite down on her bottom lips.

"Anything" I run a hand through her hair and hug her to my chest, kissing the top of her head gently "don't you _ever_ forget that."

* * *

**SORRY! can't believe i left it this long, i feel bad, I'm sorry, forgive me! haha, hope you like this chapter, it's kinda weak though! please, please tell me what you think! Your feedback really means alot! Also, if anyone has any ideas for the sequel title, please let me know cause i'm struggling to think of one! **


	19. Chapter 19

PEETA POV

"Peeta, my boy, long time, no talk?" my dad laughs over the phone, the smile on his face evident through his voice.

"Hey Dad, how're you? How's everything going back home?" I smile, shifting my phone from one ear to the other.

"I'm good, it's been pretty quiet without you here, Son. Rye's barely been home all summer so your absences has definitely been noticed." He sighs

"That doesn't surprise me one bit." I laugh "How's Mum?"

"Your mothers good, y'know; same old, same old." His laugh echoes across through the phone "But I want to know how everything's going there?"

"Dad, it's great here. I think we're all pretty bumbed that we're leaving in like, what, four days? It's gone so quickly," I sigh without trying to hide the disappointment in my voice. Being here for the past few weeks was really fun; we didn't have to worry about what was going on back home, it was just us. I wasn't sure I was ready to leave yet.

"Well, I'm glad you're having a good time, Peet."

"Yeah, me too Dad. Oh, you'll never guess who we ran into here!" I laugh, waiting to see if Dad could actually guess.

"Who?" he asks after a few moments.

"Cato and the old gang from school!"

"Really? What we're they doing that far from home?" Dad laughs again

"Roadtrip, apparently. It was weird running into them here, out of all places."

"Is Cato still with the small brunette, what was her name?" He says slowly, trying to recall her name.

"Clove? Yeah, they're still together; at least as far as I could tell. I'm pretty sure they'll be together for a long time." I tell him

"What about you, Peet, any girls up there taking ya fancy?"

"Um, you could say that, yeah." I tell him without trying to sound too enthusiastic.

As if on cue, Katniss heads around the corner and catches my eye. I smile to her as she walks over to meet me where I sit on the porch steps of our cabin. She leans against the railing and looks down at me with a curious smile on her face.

"Son?" My Dads voice pulls me back to reality.

"Huh?"

"I said, is she pretty?" he asks with another laugh.

"Pretty?" I look up to Katniss with a smile on my face "Uh, yeah you could definitely say that." I smile

"Is she nice?" he questions

"Yeah, Dad, she's amazing." I say with a small laugh

"She sounds great, Son. Do you think we'll ever get to meet this mystery girl?"

"I Definitely hope so. I should probably get going now, Dad; I promised Thom I'd help him cook."

"Sure thing, Peet. It's nice to hear that you're having such a good time. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad." I say before hanging up the phone and looking over to Katniss again.

She takes a seat next to me on the steps and gives me a quizzical look "What was all that about?" she smiles

"Dad was wondering if there was anyone here who '_took my fancy_'" I laugh

"Did he now?" she raises an eyebrow

"Mmm" I say, wrapping a hand around her neck and gently pulling her face closer to mine.

"So what did you tell him?"

"I said there might be _someone_." I say quietly, before our lips meet.

I can feel Katniss smiling as her lips press up against mine. She lets out a small sigh as we pull away from each other.

"We should go meet the others" I sigh, checking the time on my phone.

I offer a hand to Katniss who sighs reluctantly as I pull her up with me. As we walk through the park with the sun beginning to setting around us I can't help but wonder if we'll ever come back here. This time next year maybe? Either way, I was determined to fit the most into the next four days as possible.

"I don't wanna leave here." Katniss sighs as she leans her head against my shoulder.

"You read my mind." I agree, planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "The past few weeks have gone so quickly, but it still feels like we've been here for ages."

It takes a few minutes longer to reach our usual spot after doing our best to take in our surroundings. But once we reach the others we find they're all in a similar mood as we are; anyone would think that we were leaving tomorrow. Finnick and Annie sit closely together, smiling at one another as he tucks her hair behind her ear. I guess no one was really surprise that the two of them had gotten together after what had happened; we all thought it was only a matter of time, after all. No one really made a big fuss out of it. Annie's ankle was still pretty badly bruised and Finnick wouldn't let her out of his sight. It was definitely an odd transitions between the Finnick who would flit with anything with a pulse, but I guess we all knew he only ever had eyes for Annie.

Gale, Madge, Delly, Thom and Johanna all stood around the barbeque chatting and laughing about the past few weeks. It was safe to say nostalgia was thick in the air tonight. Katniss and I head over to the others where she stands in front of me as I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head against the top of hers.

"Are you two thinking the same thing we all are?" Thom asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably; we don't want to leave here." I sigh

"Well, we can do something about that." Gale insists loudly with a smile

We all look around at one another, trying to figure out what kind of idea he could have possibly come up with. By this time, Finnick and Annie have made their way over to us; intrigued by Gale's enthusiasm.

"We have to come back here. Same time, same place, same people. No matter where we end up going after schools over, we _have_ to come back here. We've all been talking about how we don't want to go home – wouldn't that be an obvious solution?" he says with a smile growing across his face.

"Ok, but only if it's _all_ of us." Delly agrees with a smile.

Murmurs of agreement flow around the group causing Gales smiling spread across his face even further.

"Then it's settled." Gale says with a sense of finality.

* * *

A few hours later we find ourselves sitting around a picnic table as the moon works it's up the sky. We sat reminiscing about the past two weeks; the ups and the down and funny moments that revolved mostly around Finnick. The night still feels heavy with nostalgia and lost thoughts but the promise to return lightens the mood significantly. It only reinforced the fact that we needed to cram as much as possible into the next few days. But if there was one thing it helped me realise it was how lucky I was to have friends like Gale and Katniss and everyone else around me. I think that was definitely the most eye-opening part about this trip. New friends were hard to come by, but it was clear that I'd managed to find the best of the best here.

* * *

**Hey! Sorry (again) about the wait. I was thinking of having 2, maybe 3 more chapter in this and then getting into the sequel? And i was thinking about calling the sequel "Winter Ties" but i'm still not sure, opinions on that would be much appreciated! This story is nearly at 100 reviews which is really cool for me so thankyou guys for taking the time to read and review this! What did everyone think of the Catching Fire Trailer? Please R&R! **


	20. Chapter 20

GALE POV

"Madge, just jump across, you'll be fine I promise!" I laugh trying to hold back a smile. We'd thought it would be a good idea to try and explore some parts of the park that we hadn't yet, but it'd rained a little last night. The rain didn't fuss me in the slightest considering Katniss and I spend time in the woods around home come rain hail or shine. But Madge was a whole other story.

"Are you serious? I can't make that, you just wanna see me fall!" she laughed shaking her head at me. The rain had created a bit of a ditch along part of the river bank; it wasn't much of a jump to get across but I understood why Madge wouldn't want to try, it was pretty slippery and she was so tiny. There was higher part of the bank a little way to her right which would probably be easier for her to manoeuvre considering there were a few large rocks taking up parts of the river. It formed a bridge of sorts, I guess.

"It's ok, just go on without me!" she joked with a laugh, running a hand through her hair and feigning exhaustion.

"I wouldn't dare! It won't be nearly as fun without you!" I reassured her with a smile.

"Well, it looks like you won't be having much fun then." She smiles. With that I jumped back across the small river and take a few steps to stand beside her. Madge shoots me a surprised grin "What are you doing?"

I decided not to answer her, instead I flash a cheeky grin and wrap one arm around her waist pulling her up into my arms.

"Oh my gosh Gale, what are you doing!?" Madge asks with a laugh as she wraps her arms around my neck.

"Rescuing you." I wink, biting back a smile.

I lightly step onto the rocks that line part of the river, step across a few of them and take one last step across to the other side of the river bank. I look down to Madge with a slight smirk on my face before she brings her hand along my cheek and reaches up to kiss me. She smiles into the kiss and runs a hand through my hair before we pull away from one another.

"Where would I be without you?" she smiles

"Probably still stuck on the other side of the river bank." I tell her with a laugh.

"Probably" she agrees planting a small peck on my cheek "So, are you gonna put me down now or do you plan on carrying me for the rest of the day?"

"Oh right." I gently set her back onto the ground with a smile before she takes my hand and leads me along the path with a content sigh.

We walk along a beaten dirt path for about twenty minutes before we managed to find a little patch of grass surrounded by trees and flowers. The walk was even nicer thanks to the rain from the night before; it made everything look that little bit fresher and greener even in the midst of summer. You couldn't see much of the lake, or the rest of the park for that matter, it was pretty secluded, but I guess that made it that little bit more compelling. Madge and I take a seat on a small patch of grass under the shade of some taller trees.

I sigh contently, looking around at the little meadow the two of us had managed to find. I hear a small giggle from beside me and turn to find Madge smiling at me.

"What" I ask curiously with a small grin, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. I shift my view to the grass below me and begin to subconsciously pick at it.

"You really love it out here, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. It feels like home in a way, I guess. It makes me feel at ease." I tell her with a smile. "What about you? Is it growing on you yet?"

"Umm a little bit" Madge gives me a coy smile. I laugh and lean in a little closer to her, planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"How about now?"

"Getting there." She laughs

The next hour or so passes similarly; the two of us tell each other about our favourite things, about what we want to do with our lives. Madge lies on the soft grass, her head resting in front of where I sit; it isn't long until I take to playing with her hair. She doesn't seem to object which makes me smile a little, quietly thankful that she can't see my face from where she is. We both sit in a content silence for a few minutes until Madge lets out a small sigh.

"I really don't wanna leave here." She says quietly

"Neither do I." I admit with a frown "I don't think anyone does really."

"Thinking about the fact that we'll be home this time tomorrow makes me sad, there are too many great memories from here." Madge turns to look at me now, a sad look in her eyes.

"We can make just as many great memories at home and when we come back next year." I give her a reassuring smile

"Promise?" She asks.

"Promise." I laugh, playfully pulling her closer to me and kissing her.

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**Hey! once again i'm sorry this took a ridiculously long time, especially considering how short and weak the chapter is, but i guess i kinda just wanted to get something up. I'm thinking the next chapter will be the last, so then i'll get to work on the sequel. Please R&R! **


	21. Chapter 21

KATNISS POV

I take in a deep breath and let my eyes scan over the lake for thousandth time today, trying to deny the fact that we would be leaving this afternoon. I had done my best to ignore that fact for the past few days, but it was dawning on me uncontrollably; I didn't think I would come to love a place as much as I did here. In all honesty, I had always been looking forward to this trip, but never imagined it would be as fun as it has been. The thought of going home just seems strange now.

I pull my hair over my shoulder, twirling it through my fingers when I look up to find Peeta taking a seat next to me, a cute smile on his face.

"Been looking for you." He smiles as he takes a seat next to me. I reshuffle the deck of cards in my hands and start a new game of solitaire. Peeta catches my eye and lets out a little laugh.

"Solitaire?" he raises and eyebrow.

"Dad taught me how to play before he died; it helps me clear my head." I tell him with a shrug.

"What's on your mind?" he smiles

"Just trying to look past the fact that we're leaving today, I don't wanna go home."

"Yeah, I know what you mean; I miss my family a bit and it'll be good to see them again but it sucks I guess." He admits with a sigh

"I miss mine too, but everything's so simple out here. I don't have to worry about school or Prim or my mum. It's just nice to be away from it all, even for a little while." I say, making trying to appear a little optimistic.

"I know." Peeta says taking my hand in his own and gently squeezing it. "Y'know, I've never really understood solitaire, but I can make a pretty mean card house." He smirks

"Is that so?" I challenge, raising an eyebrow

"Sure is."

With that, he beings to build a small house of cards, layer upon layer. It's amazing how quickly he does it, really. I'd never gotten the hang of it as a kid.

"I've never really had the patience for this" I laugh, accidentally knocking down my feeble attempt "Or the steady hand."

Peeta laughs as I shake my head in defeat, stacking my pile of cards in front of him.

"Seriously!" We hear a voice coming from behind Peeta and turn to find Gale, the others closely behind him, heading over to us. "It's our last few hours here and you two are sitting here ignoring all that and building a house of cards." He says motioning to the lake around us.

"Good morning to you too." I roll my eyes at Gale. Finnick comes along and takes a seat on the table, knocking it just enough to cause the house of cards to come tumbling down.

"Really though, what the hell are you doing with a deck of cards?" Finnick asks with both eyebrows raised.

"Solitaire." I laugh. He looks between Peeta and I while making no attempt to hide the shock on his face. He shakes his head in disappointment.

"Solitaire, seriously? You sound like my Grandma! I've got a better idea." He smirks.

We all look at him expectantly waiting for him to finish. He takes Annie by the hand and gently pulls her closer to him. "Strip poker." He wiggles his eyebrows at Annie while the rest of us burst out laughing.

"Uh-huh." Annie laughs, planting a kiss on his cheek "Well, you have fun with that." Annie walks over and takes a seat next to Johanna, who's shaking her head at Finnick.

"She doesn't know what she's missing." He shrugs, sitting down next to Peeta.

The next hour passes quickly, each of us taking turns to see who could build a 3 storey card house the fastest. Not surprisingly Peeta managed to beat us all. It takes no time at all for Gale and Thom to declare war on Madge and Delly, aiming two ridiculously large water-guns in their direction. The two of them leap up and take cover behind the barbeque while attempting to make their way to the lake unarmed. The boys, both already soaking wet and shirtless, cease-fire for a moment while the girls find some form of cover. Gale laughs and looks over to Thom who's slowly creeping toward the lake.

"Better them than me." Johanna shrugs as Gale and Thom soak the girls. We all intently watch at Madge tries to take cover behind a nearby tree, only to turn and find Gale standing behind her with a smirk on his face. She lets out a small squeal and turns to run the other way, not before Gale puts his arms around her waist, lifting her into their air and spinning around. He sets her back onto the ground and she turns to face him, standing on her toes and kissing him as her arms wind around his neck. Finnick and Peeta let out a laugh.

"When we get back to school, I'm almost certain that those two are gonna be the couple that everyone get sick of seeing make out." Finn laughs, shaking his head and running a gentle hand through Annie's hair.

"Oh yeah, says you!" Peeta laughs.

"Oh please! I'm almost sick of seeing all six of you together from the past few weeks along!" Johanna says with a smirk on her face.

"C'mon, you can hardly include us in that little group Jo! You guys didn't even know Peeta and I were together for a week!" I laugh, raising an eyebrow.

Peeta turns to face me with a smirk on his own face now. "Bet they know now." He winks, leaning closer and planting a quick kiss on my lips. I laugh as Johanna makes a noise of disgust, shaking her head at the two of us. The sun makes its way further across the sky, making an appearance from behind the clouds and casting an array of lights across the lake.

"I'm gonna miss this place." Annie sighs contently as she rests her head against Finnicks shoulder. He looks down at her a smiles lovingly; it was strange seeing Finnick like this, after all these years he's always been the clown of the group, never taking anything too seriously. Until Annie came along.

"Well, I'm going for a swim, anyone wanna come?" Finnick announces as he stands, gently pulling Annie up with him.

"Sure." I agree. I raise an eyebrow at Peeta "You coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a sec." He smiles.

Johanna and I follow Annie and Finnick toward the dock, managing to avoid the full-throttle water fight that was still happening only metres away.

"Are we all really that bad, Jo? With us all being _together_ now?" I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Nah, it's not that bad really. It's just strange how nearly everyone kinda … coupled off these past few weeks, y'know?" She shrugs her shoulder before nudging me in the sides "Don't sweat it Katniss"

"Good to know." I smile, embracing the moment as one of the better ones between the two of us. It was safe to say that we rarely saw eye-to-eye, but we had our exceptions. Not often, but it was nice to know it was possible.

It takes about five minutes until Peeta joins us, I notice him sitting on the dock, his legs hanging in the water, watching me with a slight smile on his face. I swim over to him and rest my elbows against the dock as I reach him.

"What're you doing?" I ask pushing myself a little way out of the water.

"Just enjoying the view." He smiles, leaning down to kiss me. I laugh and gently kick away from the dock before he has the chance. He shakes his head at me with a laugh as I swim under the water, only coming up in time to see him pull off his shirt and dive in after me. He swims through the water, putting his arms around my waist to pull me to him as he gets closer.

"That was just cruel, Everdeen." He shakes his head at me.

"I'm sorry!" I laugh, leaning in closer to him.

"Nope. Lost your chance now." He says, looking away. I shake my head again, slowly swimming backward away from his arms.

"I'm just kidding." He grabs my arm and pulls me through the water to him.

I run my hands through his hair, becoming lost in his blue eyes. A slight grin appears on his face as he leans in to kiss me, laughing a little as I run a hand through his hair again. We stay like this for a few minutes, ignoring wolf-whistles and laughs from Finnick.

"I'm really happy I got to spend these last few weeks with you. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be here with." I tell him with a smile.

"Me too, I'm glad I ran into you on that first day of school; haven't been able to get you out of my head since." He laughs before intently biting down on his bottom lip. I raise an eyebrow, questioning his sudden change of attitude.

"What is it?" I ask quietly, becoming a little anxious myself. Peeta takes in a deep breath and looks at me with such intensity it sends shivers down my spine.

"I know it's only been a few weeks, but I've never felt this way about anyone before. Being around you just …. Makes the days better." He smiles, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. "I love you, Katniss."

I can't help but allow my smile to spread across my face as I feel my cheeks light up. I push my hair away from my face, closing my eyes from a brief second.

"Please say something?" Peeta says quietly, his voice a little strained. I let out a little laugh and lean in to kiss him. The kiss feels different from before; more passionate. I can feel him smiling into it as we pull each other closer. Small fires ignite where his hands sit on my waist as he gently lifts me into the air. I laugh a little, wrapping my legs around his waist and running a hand through his hair.

"I love you, too." I tell him quietly with a smile.

It takes the rest of the afternoon for me to wrap my head around the fact that Peeta told me he loves me. I guess I always thought he would say it first but I never would have imagined it happening so quickly. Most of my life I'd never imagined myself saying it to someone, let alone after three weeks, but Peeta had managed to pull out this side of me that I didn't even know existed. It made me excited; I couldn't deny that meeting him had become the best thing to happen in a really long time. Throughout dinner I catch myself looking at him in awe, igniting a fire in the pit of my stomach. I make a small attempt to distract myself by helping Madge and Gale cook tea, but it's a futile, at best.

As the sun begins to set across the lake we each carry our bags out to Gale and Delly's cars, a dull mood between us all. We gather around the cars laughing and talking, giving me a perfect moment to slip away and enjoy the sunset here for the last time.

The evening sky is littered with small insects, something that never really bothered me. I head only a little way away from the others toward a small gazebo. It offers the perfect vantage point as the sun begins to set over the blue sky. I pick up Gales quiet footsteps making their way toward me as I lean against the railing.

"You've really fallen in love with this place, haven't you?" He asks, putting an arm around my shoulder and looking down to me with a smile.

"Yeah, you could say that." I admit quietly.

"We'll be back soon enough." He assure me, sensing my uneasiness.

"I guess that makes it ok." I laugh.

"I don't get it though. You seem sad but incredibly happy at the same time?" He raises an eyebrow.

I turn my head slightly to find Peeta sitting on the bonnet of gales car talking and laughing with Finnick and Delly. Gale gives me an expectant look as I turn back toward him.

"He told me he loves me." I say, not bothering to cover up the smile that is undoubtedly spread across my face. Gales face lights up with a smile before I can finish my sentence.

"Really? That's great, Katniss!" He says happily. "Look, I'm sorry I acted like such an ass those first few days; I overreacted. I just didn't wanna see you get hurt, that's all." He admits with a guilty look.

"I know, Gale. Thank you." I say as he pulls me into a bear hug, his arms enveloping me. We stay together for a little while, thankful for each other's unspoken agreement to be there for each other.

"So, you and Madge, huh?" I smile up at him as we pull away from each other.

"Yeah, me and Madge ... didn't think I'd ever get to say that." He admits with a grin spreading across his face.

"C'mon." He says, "We better hit the road if we wanna make it back home before midnight."

"Yeah, the sooner we get home, the sooner you can shower." I laugh.

He feigns shock and nudges me in the ribs "Speak for yourself, Catnip.

I slide into the back of Gale's car next to Peeta, only giving up my front seat ride for Madge. Peeta gently squeezes my leg as I look over to find him smiling a little. I return his smile, pull my still-wet hair over my shoulder and push up the sleeves of the jumper I'd borrowed from him weeks ago. He takes my hand in his own, gently tracing small patterns on mine with his thumb, as we pull away from the park. I look up to find Gales eye on me in the review mirror; he shakes his head a little and smiles.

I watch out the window as the car slowly travels further and further away from the park, leaving behind the past few weeks. I lean my head against Peeta's shoulder with a content sigh yet still clinging onto the promise of returning. Looking up at the review mirror I get one last glance at the lake and the sun as it cascades lights across the water. We'd be home in a few short hours.

_The end._

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**Well, this is it! The end! Again, i'm sorry this took so long to get up but hopefully it's worth it? I really hope you like it and have enjoy the rest of my story! hopefully you like that Peeta says _i love you - _ i thought it might be too soon, but at the same time it felt right. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought and possibly any ideas you might have/want to see in the sequel! I'm thinking of _Winter Ties_ as the name, but i'm not 100% sure, so feel free to give me your ideas. i've got heaps of ideas for the sequel so hopefully there won't be such a long gap between chapters, but nonetheless i'd reall appreciate it if you would give it a read once it's up! Thankyou to everyone who read and reviewed this story, it really does mean alot! :)  
**


	22. Sequel!

Hey guys! just a quick note to let you know that the first chapter of Winter Ties is up now! I'd really appreciate it if you could give it a read and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!


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